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% ILLUSTRATIONS AND MEDITATIONS. 



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1 

=3 



By CHARLES H. SPURGEON. 

This is is a book of much quaintness and rare interest. From the twenty-two 
volumes of the staunch Puritan, Thomas Manton, the renowned editor has culled a 
collection of figures and metaphors rich in thought and fertile in illustration. The 
terse sentences and pithy phrases of the old writer have a freshness about them that is 
morally invigorating. Mr. Spurgeon has added to each saying brief remarks of his 
own, lending additional interest to the original selections. An Index of texts and 
another of subjects accompanies the volume and will be helpful to public speakers and 
writers. 



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Illustrations and Meditations; 

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PREFACE. 



While commenting upon the One Hundred and 
Nineteenth Psalm, I was brought into most intimate 
communion with Thomas Manton, who has discoursed 
upon that marvellous portion of Scripture with great 
fulness and power. I have come to know him so well 
that I could choose him out from among a thousand 
divines if he were again to put on his portly form, and 
display among modern men that countenance wherein 
was a " great mixture of majesty and meekness." His 
works occupy twenty-two volumes in the modern re- 
print : a mighty mountain of sound theology. They 
mostly consist of sermons ; but what sermons ! They 
are not so sparkling as those of Henry Smith, nor so 
profound as those of Owen, nor so rhetorical as those of 
Howe, nor so pithy as those of Watson, nor so fascinat- 
ing as those of Brooks ; and yet they are second to none 
of these. For soHd, sensible instruction forcibly de- 
livered, they cannot be surpassed. Manton is not brill- 
iant, but he is always clear ; he is not oratorical, but he is 
powerful ; he is not striking, but he is deep. There is 
not a poor discourse in the whole collection : he is even- 
ly good, constantly excellent. Ministers who do not 
know Manton need not wonder if they are themselves 
unknown. 

Inasmuch as Manton used but a few figures and illus- 
trations, it came into my head to mark them all, for I 



IV PKEFACE. 

felt sure that tliey would be very natural and forcible : 
I will give you tlie reasoning of which this volume is 
the result. I thought that here we should find a set of 
w^orkable illustrations. It never occurred to this good 
man to introduce a metaphor by way of ornament ; he 
was too intent upon telling his message to think about 
how his sentences might be adorned, and hence it fell 
out that if he did use a simile, it was because one was 
absolutely needful, or, at least, because it was the pre- 
ferable mode of making himself understood. Here, 
then, is a man whose figures will be sure to be usable by 
the earnest preacher who has forsworn the baubles of 
rhetoric, and aims at nothing but the benefit of his 
hearers. I thought it worth w^hile to go through volume 
after volume, and mark the metaphors ; and then I 
resolved to complete the task by culling all the best 
figures out of the whole of Manton's works. Thus my 
communing with the great Puritan ends in my clearing 
his house of all his pictures, and hanging them up in 
new frames of my own. As I leave his right to them 
unquestioned and unconcealed, I do not rob him, but I 
bless him by giving him another opportunity of speak- 
ing. 

One kind of work leads on to another, and labor is 
lightened by being diversified : had it not been for 
" The Treasury of David" I had not been found among 
the metaphors of Manton. 

I see it is thirteen years ago since I issued a volume of 
illustrations ; I may surely take the liberty to put forth 
another. Tlie former was entitled, " Feathers for Ar- 
rows ;" it has met with a large sale, and it may be 
presumed to be useful, seeing it has been appropriated, 
almost every scrap of it, by the compilers of Cyclopaedias 
of Illustrations. 



PREFACE. V 

To make this little book more generally acceptable, I 
have thrown it into a somewhat devotional form, using 
Manton's figures as texts for brief meditations : this I 
humbly hope may be found profitable for reading in the 
chamber of private worship. The latter half of the 
work was composed in the gardens and olive-groves of 
Mentone, where 1 found it a pleasure to muse, and 
compose. How I wish that I could have flooded my 
sentences with the sunlight of that charming region ! 
As it is, I have done my best to avoid dulness, and to 
aim at edification. If a single practical truth is the 
more clearly seen through my endeavors, I shall be 
grateful; and doubly so if others are helped to make 
their teaching more striking. 

It is my design to bring out a third volume, consist- 
ing of illustrations which I have long been collecting at 
home and abroad, and patiently jotting down in pocket- 
books till leisure should be found for their proper shap- 
ing and arranging. Time is short, and it behooves each 
one to be working for his Lord, that when he is called 
home he may leave behind him something for the gen- 
erations following. Highly shall we be favored if the 
gracious Master shall accept our service now, and grant 
us the consciousness of that acceptance ; happier still if 
we may hope to hear him say, " Well done." 

That all my readers may meet with so great a bless- 
ing is the earnest prayer of 

Their grateful Servant, 



Westwood, January, 1883. 



v^-4-ri 



ILLUSTRATIONS AND MEDITATIONS. 



BIED TIED BY A STRING. 

" A bird that is tied by a string seems to have more liberty than a 
bird in a cage ; it flutters up and down, and yet it is held fast." 

When a man thinks that he has escaped from the 
bondage of sin in general, and yet evidently remains 
under the power of some one favored lust, he is woefully 
mistaken in liis judgment as to his spiritual freedom. 
He may boast that he is out of the cage, but assuredly 
the string is on his leg. He who has his fetters knocked 
off, all but one chain, is a prisoner still. " Let not any 
iniquity have dominion over me" is a good and wise 
prayer ; for one pampered sin will slay the soul as surely 
as one dose of poison will kill the body. There is no 
need for a traveller to be bitten by a score of deadly 
vipei's, the tooth of one cobra is quite sufBcient to insure 
his destruction. One sin, like one match, can kindle 
the fires of hell within the soul. 

The practical application of this truth should be made 
by the professor who is a slave to drink, or to covetous- 
ness, or to passion. How can you be free if any one of 
these chains still holds you fast ? We have met with 
professors who are haughty, and despise others ; how can 
these be the Lord's free men while pride surrounds 
them ? In will and intent we must break every bond of 
siu; and we must perfect holiness in the fear of the 



8 FLOWERS FROM A 

Lord, or we cannot hope that the Son has made us free. 

thou who art the free Spirit, break every bond of sin, 

1 beseech thee. 

- FADING FLOWEKS. 
" The flowers whicli grow in earth's garden wither in our hands 
while we smell at them." 

They are as frail as they are fair. They grow out of 
the dust, and to the dust must they return. As Herbert 
says, 

" Their root is ever in their grave, 
And they must die." 

How speedy is their withering, they are gathered by the 
hand, and laid before us, and they wilt and become 
sickly, fainting, decaying objects. At the very longest, 
their lives smile through a day or two, and all is over. 

Which of earth's joys is better than her flowers ? 
Health flies, wealth takes to itself wings, honor is a puff 
of air, and pleasure is a bubble. Only from heaven can 
we expect ' ^ pleasure forever more," and '^everlasting 
joy." The Rose of Sharon blooms through all the ages, 
and the Lily of the Yalley, which is Jesus himself, out- 
lasts all time, — ^yea, this is the only Everlasting Flower, 
for he only hath immortality. Why, then, should we 
seek for the living among the dead, or search for sub- 
stance in the land of shadows ? Henceforth, my soul, 
gather thy Hearts-ease in the garden of the Lord, pluck 
thy Forget-me-nots from beds which Christ has planted, 
and look for thy Crown-Lnperial only in the Paradise 
above. 

The flowers of the field are children's adornments. See 
how the little ones garland themselves, and fashion chap- 
lets with the buttercups and daisies. Earth's loveliest 
joys are good child's play ; but, my soul, thou hast to 
act a nobler part : seek thou the bliss which fadeth not 



Fl>lUTA]Sr'S GAKDEX. 9 

away. Turn thou to God, thine exceeding joy, and 
then if thy years be multipHed upon earth thou shalt 
have a hfe-long possession, or if thou be caught away 
suddenly thou shalt carry with thee in thy bosom the 
rosebud of a life which will open to perfection in the 
land where fading and withering are things unknown. 

DEAD FISH. 
" They are dead fish which are carried down the stream.'* 

Living fish may go with the stream at times, but dead 
fish must always do so. There are plenty of such in all 
waters : dead souls, so far as the truest life is concerned, 
and these are always drifting, drifting, drifting as the 
current takes them. Their first inquiry is — w^hat is cus- 
tomary ? God's law is of small account to them, but the 
unwritten rules of society have a power over them which 
they never think of resisting. Like the Vicar of Bray, 
they can twist round and round if the stream is running 
in an eddy ; or, like the sluggard, they can remain at 
their ease if the waters are stagnant. They stand in awe 
of a fool's banter, and ask of their neighbor leave to 
breathe. 

Is this a right state to be in ? Each one of us must 
give an account for himself before God : should not each 
one act for himself ? If we follow a multitude to do 
evil, the multitude will not excuse the evil nor diminish 
the punishment. Good men have generally been called 
upon to walk by themselves. We can sin abundantly by 
passively yielding to the course of this world ; but to be 
holy and gracious needs many a struggle, many a tear. 

Where, then, am I ? Am I sailing in that great fleet 
which bears the black flag, under Rear- Admiral A poll- 
yon, who commands the ship Fashion ? If so, when all 
these barks come to destruction I shall be destroyed 



10 FLOWERS FKOM A 

with them. Better part company, hoist another flag, 
and serve another sovereign. 

Come, my heart, canst thou go against stream ? It is 
the way of life. The opposing waters will but wash and 
cleanse thee, and thou shalt ascend to the eternal river- 
head, and be near and like thy God. O thou who art 
Lord of the strait and narrow way, aid me to force a pas- 
sage to glory and immortality. 

THE BRIGHT COUNTERFEIT. 

" A counterfeit coin may look better and brighter than the true 
piece of money, and yet be almost or altogether worthless." 

And in the same manner a base professor may for a 
while seem to be brighter than a true Christian. He is 
not downcast, for he has none of those inward strivings 
which cause sincere believers so much anguish of soul. 
He is not sad, for he has no penitence of heart at the 
remembrance of those shortcomings which humble the 
living child of God. Doubts and fears he has none, for 
these are the moss which grows upon faith, and of this 
grace he is quite destitute. Failures in holiness, loss of 
communion, non-success in prayer, smitings of con- 
science, all of which happen to the elect of God, come 
not near to him, for he is a stranger to the inward, sensi- 
tive principle of which these are the tokens. 

Sad sons of God, be not utterly dispirited by these 
men's equable tempers and quiet assurances, for they 
will be troubled indeed when the testing hour shall come. 
As for you, your gracious disquietudes and holy anxieties 
are a proof of the reality of your spiritual life, and evi- 
dences of grace which ought to afford you comfort. 
Dead men do not suffer from changes of weather, and 
mere imitations of life, such as paintings and statues, 
know nothing of the a»ehes and pains of living men. 



puritan's GAKDEif. 11 

Pity tliose wlio are never in soul trouble, and bless the 
Lord that he has not left you to their vainglorious peace. 
Better be dim gold than shining brass. Do you not 
think so ? 

SULPHUK IN THE INCENSE. 
** How often do we mingle sulphur with our incense !'* 

A strong expression, but most sadly true. When we 
offer prayer, is there not at times a sorrowful mixture of 
self-will, petulance, and impatience ? Does not unbelief, 
which is quite as obnoxious as brimstone, too often spoil 
the sweet odor of our supplications ? When we offer 
praise, is it all pure spices after the art of the heavenly 
apothecary ? Do not self -laudation and pride frequently 
spoil the holy frankincense and myrrh ? Alas, we fear 
that the charge must lie against us, and force us to a sor- 
rowful confession. 

As the priests of God, our whole life should be the 
presentation of holy incense unto God, and yet it is not 
so. The earthly ambitions and carnal lustings of our 
nature deteriorate and adulterate the spices of our lives, 
and Satan, with the sulphur of pride, ruins the delicate 
perfume of perfect consecration. 

What grace the Lord displays in accepting our poor, 
imperfect offerings ! What rich merit abides in our 
Lord Jesus ! What sweet savor beyond expression 
dwells in him, to drown and destroy our ill-savors, and 
to make us accepted in the Beloved ! Glory be unto 
our glorious High Priest, whose perfect life and sin- 
atoning death is so sweet before the Divine Majesty that 
the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake, and 
accepts us in him with our sweet savor. 



13 PLOWERS FROM A 

THE SHIP WHICH IS ALWAYS SAILING ON. 

** The ship holds on her course, and makes for the desired port, 
whether they on board sit, lie or walk, eat or sleep." 

Thus time is at all times bearing us onward to the land 
where time shall be no more. There is never a pause in 
our progress toward eternity, whether we trifle or are in 
earnest. Even while we read these lines the great ship 
is still speeding onward at the same rapid and unvarying 
rate. We shall soon see the shore of eternity ; far 
sooner than we think ! It becomes us to be ready for 
the landing, and for the weighty business which will then 
engage us, namely, judgment at the hands of Christ. 

If we could lie becalmed a while and make no move- 
ment toward eternity we could afl[ord to sport ; but if we 
look over the ship's stem we may see by her shining 
wake how she is cutting through the waves. Past time 
urges us to diligence, for it has reported us in heaven ; 
and future time calls us to earnestness, for it must be 
short, and may end this very day. And then ! 

MAN'S TAILOEING. 

" Men make laws as tailors make garments— to fit the crooked 
bodies they serve for, to suit the humors of the people who are to be 
governed by those laws.'* 

This is man's poor tailoring, and it betrays the sinful- 
ness both of those who frame laws and of those for 
whom they are made : the Judge of all the earth acts on 
other principles. God has ordained his law according 
to the rule of perfect equity, and he will not adapt it to 
our prejudices and deformities. Some men treat the 
law and testimony of the Lord as if it were like plaster 
of Paris, to be poured over their features to take the 
cast of their own boasted loveliness. Religion is to 
them a matter of opinion and not of fact ; they talk 



puritan's gardek. 13 

about their ^Wiews/' and their ideas, as if Christians 
were no longer believers but inventors, and no more 
disciples but masters. This cometh of evil, and leadeth 
on to worse consequences. Our sentiments are hke a 
tree, which must be trained to the wall of Scripture ; 
but too many go about to bow the wall to their tree, 
and cut and trim texts to shape them to their mind. 
Let us never be guilty of this. Reverence for the 
perfect word should prevent our altering even a syllable 
of it. ' ' The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the 
soul ;' ' let it convert us, but never let us try to pervert 
it. Our ideas must take the mould of Scripture — this is 
wisdom : to endeavor to mould Scripture to our ideas 
would be presumption. 

THE TRAYELLEE AND THE MERCHANT. 

*' A traveller :and a merchant differ ; thus : a traveller goes from 
place to place that he may see ; but a merchant goes from port to 
port that he may take in his lading, and grow rich by traffic." 

Thus there are travelling hearers who merely observe 
and criticise, and go their way very little the better for 
what they have heard ; and there are also merchant- 
hearers who listen to profit and make a gain to their 
souls out of every sermon. O Lord, put me among the 
wise merchantmen, and in my trading may 1 find the 
one pearl of great price, even Jesus, thy Son. 

EACH BIED FKOM ITS OWN EGG. 

" It would be monstrous for the eggs of one creature to bring 
forth a brood of another kind, for a crow or a kite to come from the 
egg of a hen. It is as unnatural a production for a new creature to 
sin." 

Each creature brings forth after its own kind : the old 
nature being radically evil continues to produce and to 
Bend forth swarms of sins ; it is not reconciled to God, 



14 FLOWERS PROM A 

neither indeed can be, and therefore its thoughts and 
acts are those of rebellion and hatred toward God. On 
the other hand the new nature '' cannot sin because it is 
born of God ;' ' it must have its fruit unto holiness, for 
it is holiness itself. Out of a dove's nest we expect 
only doves to fly. The heavenly life breeds birds of 
paradise, such as holy thoughts, desires, and act^ ; and 
it cannot bring forth such unclean birds as lust, and 
envy, and malice. The life of God iiif ased in regenera- 
tion is as pure as the Lord by whom it was begotten, 
and can never be otherwise. Blessed is the man who 
has this heavenly principle within, for it must appear in 
his life, and cause him to abound in holiness, to the 
glory of God. Reader, have you this divine seed within 
you, or do you remain under the dominion of corrupt 
nature ? This question deserves a present and thought- 
ful reply. 

THE CEACKED POT. 

** The unsoundness of a vessel is not seen when it is empty, but 
when it is filled with water, then we shall see whether it wiU leak or 
no.'* 

It is in our prosperity that we are tested. Men are 
not fully discovered to themselves till they are tried by 
fulness of success. Praise finds out the crack of pride, 
wealth reveals the flaw of selfishness, and learning dis- 
covers the leak of unbehef. David's besetting sin was 
little seen in the « tracks of the wild goats, but it became 
conspicuous upon the terraces of his palace. Success is 
the crucible of character. Hence the prosperity which 
some welcome as an unmixed favor may far more rightly 
be regarded as an intense form of test. O Lord, pre- 
serve us when we are full as much as when we are 
empty. 



PURITAN'S GARDEK. 15 

THE BEST OF WAYS TO THE BEST OF POSSESSIONS. 

** If a man should offer a lordship or a farm to another, and he 
should say, The way is dirty and dangerous, and the weather very 
troublesome, I will not look after it ; would you not accuse the man 
of folly who thus loved his ease and pleasure ? But, now, if this 
man were assured of a pleasant path and a good way if he would but' 
take a little pains to go over and see it, it were gross folly indeed to 
refuse it." 

Such is the folly of those who refuse the great in- 
heritance of God. It were worth while to spend a life- 
time in prison if thereby we could obtain the Kingdom of 
God ; but we are not called to such suffering, the way 
to eternal life by Christ Jesus is made plain and easy by 
the Holy Spirit who bids us believe and live. To believe 
that which is most surely true cannot be unpleasant to a 
sincere mind ; to trust in One who cannot he cannot be 
a hardship to an honest heart. In fact, the way of true 
religion is the path of wisdom, and we know that her 
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are 
peace. Who would not go to heaven when Christ is the 
way ? — the dearest, holiest, and happiest way that can 
be conceived. Since the way to heaven is heavenly, 
and the road to bliss is bliss, who will not become a 
pilgrim ? My soul, be thou in love with the way as 
well as with the end, since thy Lord is the one as well as 
the other. 

lYY IN THE WALL. 

" Man's corrupt nature has been compared to a wild fig-tree, or to 
ivy growing upon a w^all, of which you may cut off the body, boughs, 
sprigs, and branches, yet still there will be something that will be 
sprouting out again until the wall be digged down." 

When we think that we have fairly done with sin it 
suddenly sprouts again and seems as vigorous as ever. 
As it is said of a tree, '^ at the scent of water it will 
bud," so is it true of our corrupt nature, at the first 



16 FLOWEKS FltOM A 

opportunity it will shoot forth. Vainglorious professors 
have talked of their being free from all likelihood of 
sinning, but experienced believers in the depth of their 
hearts are made to feel the evil of their nature and 
therefore they walk humbly with God and cry to him to 
keep them from evil. Often does it happen that the 
boaster is tripped up by the enemy whom he thought to 
be dead and buried, while the watchful, careful Chris- 
tian is preserved in the midst of the fiercest temptations 
and enabled to maintain his integrity. 

We may well believe in the vitality of evil when we 
see how it survives the efforts of grace ; and yet the 
Lord Jesus can and will destroy it, root and branch, and 
we shall forever adore him when this marvelloas work 
is accomplished. Divine Master, uproot in me the root 
of bitterness, and tear away the follies which twine 
about my soul. 

UNJUST BALANCES. 

*'In a pair of scales, though the weights be equal, yet if the scales 
be not equal there may be wrong done : so, though the arguments 
used be powerful, yet, if the heart be biassed by unhallowed affec- 
tions, the scale will not be turned according to truth and righteous- 
ness." 

Many instances of this false w^eighing may be quoted. 
Eternal realities appear to be mere trifles when the heart 
is hot after some engrossing pleasure. The most falla- 
cious estimates are made under the influence of corrupt 
desires. Like a judge that has been bribed, the under- 
standing gives a false verdict. In one scale lies eternity 
with endless joy or bliss, and in the other lies a passing 
gain of gold or honor. The comparison needs no study- 
ing, it is as a ton to an ounce, and yet the balances are 
so false that the ounce is declared to have greater weight 
than the ton. God hateth unjust balances, and we may 



puritan's GARDEN". 17 

wisely do the same when we see how souls are mined by 
the insane trickery with whicli a man cheats himself out 
of his own soul. 

O Lord of truth, teach my conscience the law of 
truth, for Jesus' sake. Hold my hand while I hold the 
scales, and let me weigh all things in the balances of the 
sanctuary. 

TKEASON IN COINING FAKTHINGS. 
" There is as much felony in coining pence, as shiUings and 
ponnds." 

The principle is the same, whatever the value of the 
coin may be : the prerogative of the Crown is trenched 
upon by the counterfeiter, even if he only imitates and 
utters the smallest coin of the realm. He has set the 
royal sign to his base metal, and the small money- value 
of his coinage is no excuse for his oifence. 

Any one sin wilfully indulged and persevered in is 
quite sufficient to prove a man to be a traitor to his 
God. Though he may neither commit murder nor 
adultery — which would be like counterfeiting the larger 
coins, he may be as surely a felon in the sight of heaven 
if he deliberately utters falsehood or indulges pride — 
which some think as lightly of as if they were but the 
counterfeits of pence. The spirit of rebellion is the 
same whatever be the manner of displaying it. A gianfc 
may look out through a very small window, and so may 
great obstinacy of rebellion manifest itself in a little act 
of wilfulness. 

How careful should this consideration make us ! 
How earnestly should we watch against what are thought 
to be minor offences. The egg of mischief is smaller 
than that of a midge ; a world of evil lurks in a drop of 
rebellion. Lord, keep us from pence transgressions and 
then we shall not commit the pound offences. 



18 FLOWERS FROM A 

A CHILD'S FAILING. 
" A father out of indulgence may pass by a failing when his son 
waits upon him ; for instance, suppose he should spill the wine and 
break the glass ; but surely he will not allow him to throw it down 
carelessly or wilfully." 

Every one can see tliat there is a grave distinction 
between sins of infirmity and wilful transgressions. A 
man may splash us very badly with the wheel of his car- 
riage, as he passes by, and we may feel vexed, but the 
feeling would have been very much more keen if he had 
thrown mud into our face with deliberate intent. By 
the grace of God, we do not sin wilfully. Our wrong- 
doing comes of ignorance or of carelessness, and causes 
us many a pang of conscience, for we would fain be 
blameless before our God. Wilfully to offend is not 
according to our mind. In this the children of God are 
manifest, and the children of the devil. Deliberation 
and delight in sin are sure marks of the heirs of wrath. 
Sin in believers is a terrible evil, but there is this mitiga- 
tion of it, that they do not love it, and cannot rest in it. 
The true son does not wish to do damage to his father's 
goods ; on the contrary, he loves to please his father, 
and he is himself grieved when he causes grief to one 
whom he so highly honors. O my Lord, I pray thee let 
me not sin carelessly, lest I come to sin presumptuously. 
Make me to be watchful against my infirmities, that I 
may not fall by httle and little. 

ESTHER GOING IN UNTO THE KING. 

'* Queen Esther would go into the king's presence, even though 
there might be no golden sceptre held forth ; so, believer, venture 
into God's presence when you have no smile and no light from the 
countenance of your God. Trust in a withdrawing God." 

A good child will believe in his father's love even 
when his father is angry. We believe in the sun when 
he is under a cloud, and shall we not believe in God 



puritan's gardet^. 19 

when he hidetli himself ? "When the door of mercy is 
shut, then is the time for knocking. When the blessing 
appears to be lost, then is the season for seeking ; and 
when favors seem to be denied, then is the hour for 
importunate asking. When we have had many denials 
we should be the more earnest in prayer, that the hin- 
drance may be removed. Esther succeeded in lier suit 
though she went without a call, and much more sliall we 
if we boldly come unto the King of kings, from whom 
no sincere petitioner ever was dismissed unheard. If we 
knew the worst time for prayer had come, we ought still 
to pray. Come, my soul, get thee to thy chamber and 
seek the King's face, for thou hast great need. 

MEADOWS AND MARSHES. 
*' Meadows may be oecasionaUy flooded, but tlie marshes are 
drowned by the tide at every return thereof," 

There is all this difference between the sins of the 
righteous and those of the ungodlj^. Surprised by 
temptation, true saints are flooded with a passing out- 
burst of sin ; but the wicked delight in transgression 
and live in it as in their element. The saint in his 
errors is a star under a cloud, but the sinner is darkness 
itself. The gracious may fall into iniquity, but the grace- 
less run into it, wallow in it, and again and again return 
to it. Lord, grant that we may be uplifted by thy 
grace, so that the great water-floods of temptation may 
not come near us ; and if through the prevalence of our 
inward corruption the enemy should come in like a 
flood, O Lord, deliver thy servants by thy great power. 

THE NEEDLE AND ITS POLE, 
** The needle that hath been touched with the loadstone may be 
shaken and agitated, but it never rests until it turns toward the pole." 

Thus our heart's affections when once magnetized by 



A^O FLOWERS FROM A 

the love of Clirist find no rest except thy turn to him. 
The cares and labors of the day may carry the thoughts 
to other objects, even as a finger may turn the needle to 
the east or west, but no sooner is the pressure removed 
than the thoughts fly to the Well-beloved just as the 
needle moves to its place. We are unable to rest any- 
where but in Jesus. The new birth has disqualified us 
for contentment with the world, and hence w^e have no 
choice but to find our all in Christ. Blessed necessity ! 
Driven to Jesus by an unrest which finds no remedy 
elsewhere ! Drawn to Jesus by an impulse which we 
have no desire to resist ! It is our life's business and 
our heart's delight to point to him so plainly that if any 
would see Jesus they have only to look in the direction 
in which our whole being is always pointing. We are 
subject to many deflections and disturbances, but thou 
knowest, O Lord, that bur inmost soul seeks after thy- 
self. 

IMPLICIT OBEDIENCE. 
" John Cassian makes mention of one who willingly fetched water 
near two miles every day for a whole year together, to pour it upon a 
dead, dry stick, at the command of his superior, when no reason else 
could be given for it. And of another it is recorded, that he pro- 
fessed that if he were enjoined by his superior to put to sea in a ship 
which had neither mast, tackling, nor any other furniture, he would 
do it ; and when he was asked how he could do this without hazard 
of his discretion, he answered. The wisdom must be in him that 
hath power to command, not in him that hath power to obey." 

These are instances of implicit obedience to a poor 
fallible human authority, and are by no means to be 
imitated. But when it is God who gives the command, 
we cannot carry a blind obedience too far, since there 
can be no room for questioning the wisdom and goodness 
of any of his precepts. At Christ's command it is wise 
to let down tiie net at the very spot where we have 



rUiUTAN's GARDKN. 21 

toiled ill vain all the night. If God bids us, we can 
sweeten water ^dth salt, and destroy poison with meat, 
yea, we may w^alk the waves of the sea, or the flames of 
a furnace. Well said the Blessed Virgin, " Whatsoever 
he saith unto you, do it." My heart, I charge thee 
follow thy Lord's conunand without a moment's ques- 
tion, though he bid thee go forward into the Red Sea, 
or onward into a howling wilderness. 

SUN-DIAL WITHOUT THE SUN. 
'* A sun-dial may be weU and accurately set, and yet, if the sun 
shines not, we cannot teU the time of day." 

Our evidences of grace are in much the same condi- 
tion : they are good signs, but we cannot see them unless 
the grace of God shines upon them, and then we can 
almost do w^ithout them, even as an observant person 
can tell the time of day without a sun-dial, by looking 
to the Sim itself. Present faith in a present Saviour is 
better than all the marks and evidences in the world. 
Yet let no man be content if the marks of a child of 
God are absent from his life, for they ought to be there, 
and must be there. The presence of sensible evidences 
must not be too much relied on ; but the absence of them 
should cause great searching of heart. Our main con- 
cern should be to look daily and hourly unto Jesus, 
trusting in A^V;^, and not in evidences ; judging the 
progress of our soul's day, rather by our view of the 
Sun of righteousness than by our own sun-dial. If 
Jesus be gone, all is gone : without his love we are 
darkness itself. What a sun-dial is without the sun, 
that is the fairest character, the choicest past experience, 
and the maturest knowledge without Jesus' fellowship. 
Kise, O Sun of my soul ; end my doubts, if I Imve any ; 
prevent them, if I have none. 



22 PLOWERS FROM A 

WINDING UP THE CLOCK. 

" The conscience of a sinner is like a clock, dull, calm, and at 
rest, when the weights are down ; but when wound up, it is full of 
motion." 

Sometimes God winds up conscience in this life, and 
then it works vigorously, and strikes the time of day in 
the sinner's ears. Shame attends his sin, and he trem- 
bles in secret. A dreadful sound is in his ears, and like 
the troubled sea he cannot rest. This is far better than 
a dead calm. Alas, in many cases the clock runs down, 
conscience is again still, and the man returns to his false 
peace. Of all states this is most dangerous. 

In the world to come the ceaseless activity of con- 
science will be the torture of hell. Rendered sensitive 
by the removal of hardening influences, the lost soul 
will find memory accusing, and conscience condemning 
forever, and no advocate at hand to suggest a defence. 
A man had better be shut up with a bear robbed of her 
whelps, than live with an accusing conscience. No 
racks or fires can equal the misery of being consciously 
guilty, and seeing no way of escape from sin. May the 
Lord make our conscience to be an alarum to us here 
that it be not a torment to us hereafter. 

ElVIPTY THE BUCKET. 
** Empty the bucket before you go to the fountain/* 

Wise advice. If the pail be full of the best and 
cleanest water it is idle to carry it to the well, for its 
fulness disqualifies it for being a receiver. Those who 
think themselves full of grace are not likely to pray 
aright, for prayer is a beggar's trade, and supposes the 
existence of need. What does a full bucket want with 
the well ? Let it stay where it is. Fitness for mercy is 
not found in self-sufficiency, but in emptiness and want. 



PUKITAIN^'S GAKDEK. 23 

He can and will receive most of tlie Lord who lias legist 
of liis own. 

If the bucket is full of foul water, it is wise to throw 
it away as we go to the crystal spring. "We must not 
come to the Lord with our minds full of vanity, lust, 
covetousness, and pride. ^'If I regard iniquity in my 
heart, the Lord will not hear me. " He will not make 
his grace the medium of floating our unclean desires. 
Grace will cleanse out sin, but it will not mix with it, 
neither may we desire such a dishonorable compromising 
of the holy name of the Lord our God. Let the bucket 
of the heart be turned upside down and drained of the 
love of sin, and then prayer will be heard, and Jesus 
will come in and fill it. 

Lord, empty me of self, of pride, of worldliness, of 
unbelief, and then fill me with all the fulness of God, 

THE HYPOCRITE'S TEICKS. 
" A hypocrite has been likened to one who should go into a shop 
to buy a pennyworth, and should steal a pound's worth ; or to one 
who is punctual in paying a small debt, that he may get deeper into 
our books and cheat us of a greater sum.' ' 

Hypocrites make much ado about small things that 
they may be more easy in their consciences while living 
in great sins. They pay the tithe of mint to a fraction, 
but rob God of his glory by their self-righteousness. 
Punctilious to the utmost about ritual and rubric, they 
set up their own righteousness in the place of Christ, 
and rob him of his crown, while all the while they 
pretend to be serving him. They honor him with their 
church adornments, in the way of pictures and images, 
and thereby insult him with idolatry. In the mass they 
pretend to great devotion for the Lord Jesus, and yet 
the sum of it is that they put a piece of bread into the 
throne of his eternal Godliead. In a word, they give 



24 FLOWERS FROM A 

God the shells, and steal the kernels for their own pride 
and self-will. Christ may have their names, and they 
will be his disciples if they can turn a penny thereby, 
either for their purse or their pride, but all the while 
they are robbing him of his glory. O Lord, whatever I 
may be, let me not be a hypocrite. Sufier me to be the 
least among thy true children, rather than the chief 
among pretenders. 

THE WEAK STRONG, AND THE STRONG WEAK. 

" It is related of Laurence Saunders the martyr, that one day in 
the country, meeting his friend Dr. Pendleton, an earnest preacher 
in King Edward's reign, they debated upon what they had best do in 
the dangerous time that Mary's accession had brought upon them. 
Saunders confessed that his spirit was ready, but he felt the flesh 
was at present too weak for much suffering. But Pendleton ad- 
monished him, and appeared all courage and forwardness to face 
every peril. They both came, under the control of circumstances, to 
London, and there, when danger arose, Pendleton shrunk from the 
cross, and Saunders resolutely took it up." 

The reader has probably met with this story before, 
but it will not harm him to learn its lesson again. We 
are certainly stronger when we feel our weakness than 
when we glory in om* strength. Our pastoral observa- 
tion over a very large church has led us to expect to see 
terrible failures among those who carry their heads higii 
among their brethren. Poor timid souls who are afraid 
to put one foot before another, for fear they should go 
an inch astray, go on from year to year in lovely, bashful 
holiness, and at the same time the very professors who 
condemned them, and distressed them by their confident 
pretensions, fall like Lucifer, never to hope again. 

The fault which has happened to others may be yet 
seen in me, unless the Lord shall guard me from it. It 
is no time for boasting while we are still in the enemy's 
country. 



puritan's garde. 25 

THE SUN IN WINTER. 

** A summer's snn, even when beclouded, yields more comfort and 
warmth to the earth than a winter's sun that shines brightest." 

Tl)e comforts of the Spirit at their lowest, are far 
superior to the joys of the world at their highest pitch. 
When saints are mourning, their inward peace is still 
superior to that of worldhngs, when their mirth and 
revelry overflow all bounds. Lord, I had rather take 
the worst from thee than the best from thine enemy. 
Only do thou graciously shine within me, and let mine 
outward condition be as dull as thou pleasest. 

THE NURSE AND THE FALLING CHILD. 

** The nurse lets the child get a knock sometimes, in order to make 
it more cautious." 

Thus does the Lord in Providence allow his children 
to suffer by their sins, that they may be more thoughtful 
in future. He has no hand in their sin ; but, since the 
sin is in them, he allows circumstances to occur by which 
the evil is made manifest in open acts, which cause them 
sorrow. When a physician sees a person suffering from 
an inward complaint, he may think it wise so to deal 
with his patient that the disease is brought to the sur- 
face ; and thus also God may permit the sins of his 
j)eople to come to an open sore, that they may be aware 
of them, and seek for healing. The nurse does not 
make the child careless or cause it to tumble, but she 
withdraws her interposing care for the best of reasons, 
namely, that the little one may learn to avoid danger by 
a measure of suffering on account of it. It would be 
blasphemous to attribute sin to God ; but it is a matter 
of fact that, by smarting for one fault, gracious men 
learn to avoid others. 



26 FLOWERS FROM A 

GEACE FOE USE, AND NOT TO BE PLAYED WITH. 

** Grace is Dot only dommi, but talenium. Grace is not given, as a 
piece of money, to a child to play withal, but as we give money to 
factors, to trade withal for us." 

Everytliing is practical in the great gifts of God. He 
plants liis trees that they may bear fruit, and sows his 
seed that a harvest may come of it. We may trifle and 
speculate ; God never does so. When a man imagines 
that grace is given merely to make him comfortable, to 
give him a superiority over his fellows, or to enable him 
to avoid deserved censure, he knows not the design of 
the Lord in the bestowal of grace, and, indeed, he is a 
stranger to the grand secret. God works in us that we 
may work, he saves us that we may serve him, and 
enriches us with grace that the riches of his glory may 
be displayed. 

Are we putting out our talents to proper interest ? 
Do we use the grace bestowed upon us ? " He givetli 
more grace," but not to those who neglect what they 
have. Men do not long trust ill stewards. Lord, help 
us so to act that we may render our account with joy 
and not with grief. 

STUDY MUST BE FOLLOWED UP BY MEDITATION. 

" The end of study is information, the end of meditation is prac- 
tice, or a work upon the affections. Study is like a winter's sun 
that shineth but warmeth not ; but meditation is like blowing up 
the fire, where we do not mind the blaze, but the heat." ' 

Meditation being thus the more practical of the two, 
should not be placed second to study, but should even 
take precedence of it. 

*' In study we are rather like vintners, who take in wine to store 
for sale ; in meditation, like those who buy wine for their own use 
and comfort. A vintner's cellar may be better stored than a noble- 
man's. The student may have more of notion and knowledge, but 
the practical Christian hath more of taste and refreshment.'* 



puritan's GARDEN". 27 

The stndentj therefore, is in a sad case if lie go no 
further, for his soul may starve, notwithstanding his 
stores, if he does not nse them. How miserable to die 
of cold while your cellar is full of coals ! To perish 
with hunger when your granary is full of corn ! This is 
a species of suicide which many commit. For want of 
due examination and meditation the precious truth of 
God is of no ;4vail ; but the blame lietli at the man's 
own door because he would not consider and turn unto 
the Lord. My soul, see to it that thy knowledge is well 
used for thy sustenance and growth. Retire more than 
thou hast done and chew the cud by meditation. Thou 
hast had too little of this. Be zealous, therefore, and 
mend thy ways in this respect. ^ 

CLEAN VESSELS FOE CHOICE LIQUOES. 

" As precious liquors are best kept in clean vessels, so is the mys- 
tery of faith in a i^nre conscience." 

Who, indeed, would knowingly pour a choice wine 
into a tainted cask ? It would be no instance of his 
wisdom if he did so. When we hear of men living in 
sin and yet claiming to be the ministers of God, we are 
disgusted with their pretences, but we are not deceived 
by their professions. In the same manner, we care little 
for those who are orthodox Christians in creed if it is 
clear that they are heterodox in life. lie who l)elieves 
the truth should himself be true. How can we expect 
others to receive our religion if it leaves us foul, false, 
malicious, and selfish ? We sicken at the sight of a 
dirty dish, and refuse even good meat when it is placed 
thereon. So pure and holy is the doctrine of the cross 
that he who hears it aright will have liis ear cleansed, he 
who believes it will have his heart purged, and he who 
preaches it should have his tongue purified. Woe unto 



28 FLOWERS FKOM A 

that man who brings reproach upon the gospel by an 
luihallowed walk and conversation. 

Lord, evermore make lis vessels fit for thine own use, 
and then fill us with the pure blood of the grapes of 
sound doctrine and wholesome instruction. Suffer us 
not to be such foul cups as to be only fit for the wine of 
Sodom. 

THE EHODIANS. 

Plutarch tells us that the Rhodians appealed to the 
Romans for help, and one suggested that they should 
plead the good turns which they had done for Rome. 
This was a plea difficult to make strong enough, very 
liable to be disputed, ^and not at all likely to influence 
so great a people as the Romans, who would not readily 
consider themselves to be debtors to so puny a state as 
that of Rhodes. The Rhodians were, however, wiser 
than their counsellor, and took up another line of argu- 
ment, which was abundantly successful : they pleaded 
the favors which in former times the Romans had be- 
stowed upon them, and urged these as a reason why the 
great nation should not cast off a needy people for whom 
they had already done so much. 

Herein is wisdom. How idle it would be for us to 
plead our good works with the great God ! What we 
have done for him is too faulty and too questionable to 
be pleaded ; but what he has done for us is grand argu- 
ment, great in itself and potent with an immutable 
Benefactor. Legal pleading soon meets a rebuff ; yea, 
it trembles even before it leaves the pleader's mouth, 
and makes him ashamed while he is yet at his argument. 
Far otherwise fares it with the humble gratitude which 
gathers strength as it recalls each deed of love, and com- 
forts itself with a growing assurance that he who has 



puritan's GARDEN". 29 

done so mucli will not lose his labor, but will do even 
more, till he has perfected that which concerneth us. 
Sinners run fearful risks wlien they appeal to justice : 
their wisdom is to cast themselves upon free grace. Our 
past conduct is a logical reason for our condemnation ; it 
is in God's past mercy to us that we have accumulated 
argument for hope. The Latin sentence hath great 
truth in it, Deus donando dehet^ God by giving one 
mercy pledges himself to give another ; he is not in- 
debted to our merit, his only obhgation is that which 
arises out of his own covenant promise, of which his 
gifts are pledges and bonds. Let us remember this 
when next we urge our suit with him. 

CHOKING THE WEEDS. 

" The way to destroy iU weeds is to plant good herbs that are con- 
trary." 

We have all heard of weeds choking the wheat ; if we 
were wise we should learn from our enemy, and endeavor 
to choke the weeds by the wheat. Preoccupation of 
mind is a great safeguard from temptation. Fill a 
bushel with corn, and you will keep out the chaff : have 
the heart stored with holy things, and the vanities of the 
world will not so readily obtain a lodging-place. 

Herein is wisdom in the training of children. Plant 
the mind early with the truths of God's word, and error 
and folly will, in a measure, be forestalled. The false 
will soon spring up if we do not early occupy the mind 
with, the true. He who said that he did not wish to 
prejudice his boy's mind by teaching him to pray, soon 
discovered that the devil was not so scrupulous, for his 
boy soon learned to swear. It is well to prejudice a 
field in favor of wheat at the first opportunity. 

In the matter of amusements for the young, it is much 



30 FLOWERS FROM A 

better to provide than to prohibit. If we find the lads 
and lasses interesting employments they will not be so 
hungry after the gayeties and ensnarements of this wicked 
world. If we are afraid that the children will eat un- 
wholesome food abroad, let us as much as possible take 
the edge from their appetites by keeping a good table at 
home. 

BROKEN BONES COMPLAINING. 

'* Old bruises may trouble us long after, upon every change of 
weather, and new afflictions revive the sense of old sins." 

We know one who broke his arm in his youth, and 
though it was well set, and soundly healed, yet before a 
rough season the bones cry out bitterly ; and even so, 
though early vice may be forsaken, and heartily repented 
of, and the mind may be savingly renewed, yet the old 
habits will be a lifelong trouble and injury. The sins of 
our youth will give us many a twist fifty years after they 
have been forgiven. How happy, then, are those who 
are preserved from the ways of ungodliness, and brought 
to Jesus in the days of their youth, for they thus escape 
a thousand regrets. It is well to have a broken bone 
skilfully set, but far better never to have had it broken. 
The fall of Adam has battered and bruised us all most 
sadly ; it is a superfluity of naughtiness that w^e should 
incur further damage by our own personal falls. The 
aches and pains of age are more than suflicient when 
every limb is sound, and recklessly to add the anguish 
of fractures and dislocations would be folly indeed. 
Young man, do not run up bills which your riper years 
will find it hard to pay ; do not eat to-day forbidden 
morsels, which may l^reed you sorrow long after their 
sweetness has been forgotten. 



puritan's garden. 31 

THE CHAKIOT OF THE SPIRIT. 

'* The Spirit of God rides most triumphantl}^ in his own chariot." 

That is to say, he is best pleased to convey conviction 
and comfort by means of his own word. God's word, 
not man's comment on God's word, is the most nsiial 
means of conversion. This is done to put honor upon 
tlie divine revelation, and to make us prize it with all 
our hearts. Our Lord said not only, " Sanctify them," 
but, '' sanctify them through thy truth ;" and then he 
added, ^' thy word is truth." Our author does well to 
liken the Scriptures to a chariot, because they are the 
ordinary means by which the Holy Ghost comes to us, 
but they are only the chariot, and without the quicken- 
ing Spirit they bring us no good. The Scriptures do 
not make our hearts burn till the Spirit kindles them 
into flames, and then we say, " Did not our hearts burn 
within us while he talked with us by the way, and while 
he opened to us the Scriptures." Let us reverence Holy 
Scripture because the Holy Ghost is its author, expositor, 
preserver, and applier. We cannot too often use the 
weapon which the Spirit himself calls his sword. 

COVETOUSNESS AS A SERVANT. 

** CoYetoTisness may be entertained as a servant, where it is not 
entertained as a master — entertained as a servant to jDrovide oil and 
fuel to make other sins burn." 

Where avarice is the absolute master, the man is a 
miser ; but even he is not more truly miserable than the 
man whose gainings only furnish opportunity for indulg- 
ing in vice. Such persons are greedy that they may 
become guilty. Their money buys them the means of 
their own destruction, and they are eager after it. 
Winning and saving with them are but means for prof- 
ligacy, and therefore they think themselves fine liberal 



32 FLOWERS PROM A 

fellows, and despise the penurious habits of the miser. 
Yet in what respects are they better than he ? Their 
example is certainly far more injurious to the common- 
wealth, and their motive is not one whit better. Selfish- 
ness is the mainspring of action in each case ; the 
dift'erence lies in the means selected and not in the end 
proposed. Both seek their own gratification, the one by 
damming up the river, and the other by drowning the 
country with its floods. Let the profligate judge for 
himself, whether he is one grain better than the greediest 
skinflint whom he so much ridicules. 

Lord, help us to live for thee and not for self, and 
both in giving and in spending may thy glory be our 
only aim. 

UNDISTUKBED DEVOTION. 

''It is a strange constancy of fixedness that is attribnted to the 
priests at Jerusalem, who, when Faustiis, Cornelius, Furius, and 
Fabius broke into the city with their troops, and rushed into the 
temple ready to kill them, yet they went on with the rites of the 
temple, as if there had been no assault. And strange is that other 
instance of the Spartan youth, that held the censer to Alexander 
whii3 he offered sacrifice. A coal lighting upon his arm, he suffered 
it to burn there rather than that any crying out of his should disturb 
the worship." 

These instances are a shame to Christians, that we do 
not more intensely fix our hearts when we are in the 
service of God ; instead of which, many may be seen 
looking hither and thither, and turning their heads to 
the door to observe every new comer. Even in our 
private devotions, how soon we are distracted and carried 
away from the point in hand. Our minds flit and fly 
like birds on the hedges, which have scarcely time to 
settle, for as one passenger moves along the road and 
then another, they are ready for flight at once. At the 



33 



BOTind of every footstep the bird is on the wing, and thus 
some hearts are the prey of every triflhig circumstance. 
Saints have been undisturbed amid a crowd, while otliers 
find their prayers crowded out when they are alone. 

O Lord, V assist me in my communion with tliee, that 
my whole soul may be set upon it, and not a single 
thought may wander from thee. Let not even pain and 
care prevent my whole heart from adoring thee. 

EAKE EXOTICS NEED CAEE. 

** The more supernatural things are, the more we need diligence to 
preserve them. A strange plant [an exotic] requires more care than 
a native of. the soil. Worldly desires, like nettles, breed of their 
own accord ; but spiritual desires need a great deal of cultivating.** 

The more spiritual the duty, the sooner the soul 
wearies of it. An illustration of this is seen in the case 
of Moses, whose hands grew weary in prayer, while we 
never read that Joshua's hands hung down in fight. 
Spirituahty is a tender plant, and without great care it 
soon flags, Avhile sin needs neither hoeing nor watering, 
but will spring up in the dark, and flourish even amid 
the wintry frosts of trouble. The fair flower of grace, 
is, however, so precious that God himself has promised 
to tend it. TV hat must be the value of that plant of 
which the Lord hath said, " I Avill water it every 
moment ; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and 
day?" Let us watch and pray, and never dream that 
things will go v/ell with us if we neglect these necessary 
duties. No spiritual grace will thrive if we neglect it. 
We ought to be very diligent in our spiritual husbandry ; 
nor should our labor be grudged, for the fruit will well 
reward our pains. 



34 FLOWERS FROM A 



THE MAKTYE AND THE CHAIN. 

** When Hooper, the blessed martyr, was at the stake, and the 
officers came to fasten him to it, he cried, ' Let me alone ; God that 
hath called me hither will keep me from stirring ; and yet,' said he, 
upon second thought, * because I am but flesh and blood, I am will- 
ing. Bind me fast, lest I stir.' " 

Some plead tliat tliej have no need of the holdfasts of 
an outward profession, and the solemn pledges of the 
two great ordinances, for the Holy Spirit will keep them 
faithful ; yet surely, like this man of God, they may 
well accept those cords of love wherewith heavenly 
wisdom would bind us to the horns of the altar. Our 
infirmities need all the helps which divine love has 
devised, and we may not be so self-sufficient as to refuse 
them. 

Pledges, covenants, and vows of human devising 
should be used with great caution ; but where the Lord 
ordains we may proceed without question, our only fear 
being lest by neglecting them we should despise the 
command of the Lord, or by relying uj)on them v/e 
should wrest the precept from its proper intent. What- 
ever will prove a check to us when tempted, or an 
incentive when commanded, must be of use to us, how- 
ever strong we may conceive ourselves to be. " Bind 
the sacrifice with cords, even with cords to the horns of 
the altar. ' ' 

Lord, cast a fresh band about me every day. Let the 
constraining love of Jesus hold me faster and faster. 

** Oh, to grace how great a debtor, 
Daity I'm constrained to be ! 
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, 
Bind my wandering heart to thee." 



puritan's garden. 35 

BEGGING OF THE EICH. 

" Beggars in the streets, if they see a poor man, meanly clad, they 
let him alone ; but when they see a man of quality and fashion they 
rouse up themselves, and besiege him with importunate entreaties 
and clamors, and will not let him go until he hath left something 
with them.' ' 

Tims should we do in our spiritual begging. Vain is 
the help of man, and therefore we should ask little of 
him : he is as j^oor as we are, and it will be a waste of 
time to wait upon such a pauper. As for the Lord 
Jesus, he is so rich that if all the beggars in the universe 
would call at his door, he would not refuse one of them, 
but would set open the doors of his granaries and the 
hatches of his butteries, and feast the world. He is the 
heir of all things. There is no bottom to his treasuries. 
He is the true Solomon, and his daily provision is not 
only enough for all his household, but for all those who 
lie starving on the highways and in the hedges. The 
wealth of nations is nothing to the wealth of Jesus. 
Come, then, my heart, beg largely of thy Lord, and 
when he hears thee, beg again. His quality and fashion 
invite thee to follow him with importunity withersoever 
he goeth. 

SOUR GRAPES. 
" Ungodly men are too impatient to wait for solid and eternal 
pleasures, but snatch at the pleasures of sin, which are but for a 
season. These resemble children who cannot tarry till the grapes 
are ripe, and therefore eat them sour and green.'* 

Pleasure lies mainly in hope, and yet some men will 
not give space for hope to grow in : it must be now or 
never ; all to-day, and to morrow may starve. Li busi- 
ness, men put out their money, foregoing its use them- 
selves, that it may, after a while, return to them with 
increase ; 3ut carnal men are all for keeping the bird 
in the hand, and cannot wait for joys to come. 



36 FLOWERS FKOM A 

Yet tliese hasty delights are not satisfying. Man was 
not made to find his heaven npon earth, nor can he do 
so, even though he labors after it. The grapes plucked 
in this untimely season cause ere-long a griping of the 
heart, and a gnawing within the soul. We are not ready 
for fulness of joy, nor is the joy ready for us. Our 
wisdom is to be preparing for eternal bliss by present 
holiness, believing that he who is making us ready for 
heaven is making heaven ready for us. This is the 
surest way to present satisfaction, which must always be 
found in careful obedience to the divine will from day 
to day, and in a believing expectation of glory to be 
revealed. 

O thou who art ^'the God of hope," grant that, by 
thy hope which thou hast wrought in us, we may be 
daily purified, and set free from the defilement of this 
present evil world. 

THE SINGLE MILLSTONE. 
*' Tlie Egj^ptians, in their hieroglyphics, expressed the unprofit- 
ableness of a solitary man by a single millstone, which, being alone, 
grind eth no meal, though with its fellow it would be exceedingly 
profitable for that purpose." 

Let this serve as a symbol to those unsociable Christians 
who endeavor to Vvalk alone, and refuse to enter into the 
fellowship of the saints. They are comparatively use- 
less. The Lord has made us dependent upon each other 
for usefulness. Our attainments are not put to their 
right use till they supply the deficiencies of others : this 
is one side of our necessity for fellowship — we need to 
associate with the w^eak, that we may find a sphere in 
which to trade with our talents, by helping them. On 
the other hand, our infirmities and deficiencies are meant 
to draw us into association with stronger brethren, from 
whom we may receive help and direction. Whether we 



puritan's garden. 37 

be of tlie stronger or the feebler sort, we have an eqnal 
reason for seeking Cliristian communion. It is of the 
nature of the Lord's people to assemble themselves 
together, and live in companies : wild beasts may roam 
the woods alone, but sheep go in flocks. David said, 
" I am a companion of all them that fear thee," and he 
showed his piety not only by being select in his company, 
but in loving such fellowship when he found it. 

O thou who didst call thy disciples ^'friends," give 
me ever the friendly spirit, and make me to love all 
those whom thou lovest. 

KAIMENT, THE BODY, THE SOUL. 

*^ A man who is wounded, and cut through his clothes and skin 
and aU, wiU be more anxious to have the wound closed up in his 
body than to have the rent in his garment mended." 

His body is much more himself than the garment with 
which he covers it, and, therefore, he gives it his first 
attention. Now, on the same principle, we should take 
more care of the soul than of the body, for the soul is 
more truly the man than tlie mere flesh and blood which 
he inhabits. As a man may get a new coat, so shall he 
obtain a new body at the resurrection ; but his spirit, 
which is his real self, abides the same as to identity, and 
should, therefore, be carefully guarded. Yet what fools 
the most of men are ; they spend a lifetime in providing 
for a body which will soon be worms' meat, and their 
immortal soul is left imcared for, to go before God, 
naked, and poor, and miserable. If there were as much 
as a pennyworth of wisdom to be found among ten thou- 
sand sinners they would no longer neglect their own 
souls. 

O Lord, heal thou my soul ; and as for the rents in 
my garments, they shall give me small concern. 



38 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE IMAGE NOT THE MAN. 

** As Michal laid a statue in David's bed, and, covering it with 
David's apparel, made Saul's messengers believe it was David him- 
self sick in bed ; so, many persons cover themselves with certain ex- 
ternal actions belonging to religion, and the world believeth them 
truly sanctified and spiritual, whereas, indeed, they are but statues 
and apparitions of devotton to God." 

Formalism is a vain show, and will, in the end, be 
discovered, and the cheat will cease to impose upon any 
one. Of all matters, religion is the very worst to play 
with. It may be easy to mimic it, but the price to be 
paid for such fooling will be terrible. If men must act 
a borrowed part, let them ape the princes of this world, 
but let them not put such an affront upon the princes of 
the blood royal of heaven. Let them go to their theatres 
if they would wear a mask ; to do so in the house of 
God is an insult which the Lord will not brook. The 
best imitation of religion will make its possessor wail for- 
ever when the hand of eternal truth shall lay bare its 
falsehood. 

O thou who art ''the truth," deliver me from all 

seeming, and let me be in truth that which I profess 

to bo. 

RUNAWAY KNOCKS. 

*' Watch in prayer to see what cometh. Foolish boys, that knock 
at a door in wantonness, will not stay till somebody cometh to open 
to them ; but a man that hath business will knock, and knock again, 
till he gets his answer." 

To pray and not to look for an answer argues either a 
mere formality in prayer, and that makes the prayer to 
be dead ; or else unbelief as to the truth of God, and 
that makes the prayer to be corrupt. lie who presents 
a check at the banker's looks to have money for it ; if 
not, he is not a business man, but a mere tritier. So in 
our pleadings of the divine promise we expect a fulfil- 



puritak's garden. 39 

ment, or otherwise we do but play with God. Ilow 
many runaway knocks we give at mercy's gate ! Let us 
put away such childish things, and treat prayer as a 
reality : then shall we be answered of a truth. '' I will 
direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." 

lie who vv rites these lines bears witness that he lias 
never knocked in vain at the Lord's door, and he begs 
the reader to make trial of that which he has found so 
effectual. '' Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." 

THE EUSSET COAT. 

** Man is a proud creature, and would fain establish his own right- 
eousness, and have somewhat wherein to glory in himself. Rom. x. 
3. Our proud heart takes up the old proverb and thinketh — A russet 
coat of our own is better than a silken garment that is borrowed of 
another." 

Man would sooner wear his own rags than Christ's fine 
white linen. Pride, however, is too expensive a luxury 
w^hen a man must give up all hope of heaven in order to 
indulge it. Such is the case. There can be no feasting 
with the King unless we wear the wedding-garment 
which he supplies. Our own silk and satin would not 
suit his courts, much less our russet and our corduroy. 
We must accept the righteousness of God, or be un- 
righteous forever. Surely we shall be worse than mad- 
men if we insist upon going naked rather than put on 
the royal apparel of free grace. Lord, I cannot longer 
err in this fashion, for I perceive my righteousnesses to 
be filthy rags, and I am heartily glad to be rid of them. 
Clothe me, I pray thee, with the righteousness divine. 

FIKE SPEEADING. 

** A good man is always seeking to make others good, as fire turn- 
eth aU things about it into fire." 

You cannot make fire stay where it is, it will spread 
as opportunity serves it. It will subdue all its surround- 



40 TLOWEKS FKOM A 

ings to itself. Carljle says that " man is emphatically 
a proselytizing creature/' and assuredly the new creature 
is such. Life grows, and so invades the regions of 
death, and spiritual life is most of all intense in its grow- 
ing and spreading. Liberty to hold our opinions but 
not to spread them is no liberty, for one of our main 
opinions is that w^e should bring all around us to Jesus, 
and to obedience to the truth. Lord, help us ever to be 
doing this, subduing the earth for thee by spreading on 
all sides the name of Jesus. Let our hfe burn till the 
whole world is on a blaze. 

NO OLD AGE IN GEACE. 

** We have our infancy at our first conversion, when liable to child- 
ish ignorance and many infirmities ; we have our youth and growing 
age, when making progress in the way of grace toward perfection • 
and lastly, we have our perfect manlj^ age when we are come to our 
full pitch, when grace is fully perfected in glory. In Scripture there 
is nothing said of a fading and declining time of old age in grace." 

The fact being that, imlike the natural life, the 
spiritual life does not conclude in declining strength and 
inevitable decrepitude, but continues its progress even 
beyond the grave. We go from strength to strength, 
not from strength to v/eakness. The old age of grace is 
maturity, not decay ; advancement, not decline ; perfec- 
tion, not imbecility. In the advanced years of nature 
we lose many of our faculties, but in advanced grace 
our spiritual senses are more quick and discerning than 
ever. The aged man feels the grasshopper to be a 
burden, and the clouds return after the rain ; but to the 
advanced believer the greatest loads are light and the 
rain is over and gone. Old age goes down to death, but 
ripe grace ascends to everlasting life. Lord, let me 
grow ripe but not rotten, maturing but not decaying, 
for thy glory's sake. 



1 puritan's garden. 41 

INFANTS AND SICK FOLK. 

*' Thongh we cannot love their weaknesses, yet we must love tlie 
weak, and bear with their infirmities, not breaking the brnised reed. 
Infants must not be turned out of the family because they cry, and 
are unquiet and troublesome ; though they be jDeevish and froward, 
yet we must bear it with gentleness and patience, as we do the fro- 
wardness of the sick ; if they revile we must not revile again, but 
must seek gently to restore them, notwithstanding all their cen- 
sures.*' 

This patience is far too rare. "Wo do not make allow- 
ances enough for our fellows, but sweepingly condemn 
those whom we ought to cheer with our sympathy. If 
we are out of temper ourselves^ we plead the weather, 
or a headache, or our natural temperament, or aggravat- 
ing circumstances ; we are never at a loss for an excuse 
for ourselves, why should not the same ingenuity be used 
by our charity in inventing apologies and extenuations 
for others ? It is a pity to carry on the trade of apology- 
making entirely for home consumption ; let us supply 
others. True, they are very provoking, but if we 
suffered half as much as some of our irritable friends 
have to endure we should be even more aggravating. 
Think in many cases of their ignorance, their unfortu- 
nate bringing up, their poverty, their depression of 
spirit, and their home surroundings, and pity will come 
to the help of patience. We are tender to a man who 
has a gouty toe, cannot we extend the feeling to those 
who have an irritable soul ? 

Our Lord will be angry with us if we are harsh to his 
little ones whom he loves ; nor will he be pleased if we 
are unkind to his poor afflicted children with whom he 
would have us be doubly tender. We ourselves need 
from him ten times more consideration than we show to 
our brethren. For his sake we ought to be vastly more 
forbearing than we are. Think how patient he has been 



42 FLOWERS FROM A 

to US, and let our hard-lieartedness be confessed as no 
light sin. 

PILLS. 

*' We should not expect to see a reason for everything which we 
believe, for many doctrines are mysteries, and we must receive them 
as we do pills. We do not chew pills, but swallow them ; and so we 
must take these truths into our souls upon the credit of the revealer." 

This indeed is true faith — this taking truth upon trust 
because of the divine authority of the revelation which 
contains it. We are j)ersuaded that the Lord cannot He, 
and so we believe, for this sole reason, that " thus saith 
the Lord." Why should we chew the pill by wishing 
to know more than is revealed ? Must our Father ex- 
plain everything to us on pain of not being believed if 
he reserves any point in his proceedings ? Would not 
such a demand savor more of a proud, rebellious spirit 
than of humble, childlike love ? Has a man any faith 
in God if he will believe no more than his reason proves ? 

Many a truth when taken into the soul as a whole has 
proved to be very sweet to the heart. We could not 
understand it ; but no sooner had we believed it than we 
were conscious of its delightful influence upon the inner 
nature. • Who can understand the twofold nature of our 
Lord's person, or the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, 
or the predestination which does not violate free agency ? 
And yet what a delight these truths create in minds 
which cheerfully accept them. My soul, thou canst not 
know or understand all things, else wert thou omnis- 
cient, and that is the prerogative of God alone. Be it 
thine, therefore, to beheve the testimony of thy God, 
and then his omniscience will be all at thy disposal. He 
will teach thee what else thou couldst never learn, if thou 
art but willing to sit at his feet and receive of his word. 
We sometimes speak of a scholarly man ; in the best 



puritan's GARDEN". 43 

sense every Christian should be scholarly y that is, will- 
ing to be a scholar. 

HAED BEGINNINGS. 

** Some beginners are discouraged in their first attempts at a godly 
life, and so give over throngh despondency. They should remember 
that the bullock is most unruly at the first yoking, and that the fire 
at first kindling casts forth most smoke." 

They forget this, and therefore are tempted to give 
over religion and its graces as hopeless. When a man is 
new to the ways of God those duties are difficult which 
afterward become easy. Use in common life is called 
second nature, and in gracious matters it helps our 
second nature. Gracious habit gives impetus to gracious 
action. Self-denials, which seem hard at first, become 
delights in due season, so that we even wonder that we 
thought them denials. Some things there are which are 
most easy in our first days of grace, but other things 
will be found to improve as we proceed upon the way : 
let not the young beginner be discouraged, but fully 
believe that '' it is better on before. '^ We have heard 
persons talk of the days of childhood as the happiest in 
mortal life, but we do not agree with them : the sorrows 
of childhood take a very intense possession of the little 
ones, and in their grief everything seems lost, whereas 
the full-grown mind is divided in sorrow, and other con- 
siderations come in to temper the wind of trouble. 
Even so, childhood in grace is by no means our best 
time ; for its trials, though less in themselves, are 
greater to our weakness and rawness of mind. The 
yoke will be easier soon, and the fire will yet burn with 
a clearer blaze. 

Lord, help thy babe. Nurse mo into vigor by thy 
good Spirit, 



44 FLOWERS FROM A 

LEAD. 

" Lead is lead still, whatever stamp it beareth." 
A change of form is a very different thing from a 
cliange of substance. You may cast lead into the shape 
of a shining, but you cannot make silver of it. Now, 
the only change which can save us is a thorough trans- 
formation of nature, and this is as clearly beyond human 
power as the turning of lead into silver. When we see 
a great moral improvement in any man we ought to be 
glad, and to admire the power of conscience ; but if the 
man's heart remains the same, the alteration is only 
casting a lump of lead into a pretty form. When the 
man's nature and disposition are radically altered, we 
may then exclaim, " This is the finger of God" — this is 
transmuting lead into silver. " Ye must be born again :" 
nothing less will suffice. 

Lord, grant that I may truly know this change. If I 
am mistaken and have never been regenerated, be pleased 
to exercise thy gracious power upon me now, for Jesus' 
sake. 

WHY A CANDLE IS LIT. 

** God seldom lighteth a candle, but he hath some lost groat to 
seek/' 

This is assuredly true, and its practical bearings are 
worthy of our attention. If God raises up a preacher or 
any other useful worker, we may conclude that he has a 
people to be sought out and won for his kingdom. All 
capacities and abilities in the Church are intended for 
this great purpose — the finding of the lost treasure. The 
same is true of the doctrines of the gospel, the ordi- 
nances, and the promises : these are all lights kindled 
with the view of finding lost souls. The whole Script- 
ure has an eye in tliis direction. By one text one man 
is found, and by another passage another is discovered. 



puritan's UAllDEJSr. 45 

Each Scripture has its own raj, and by its means its 
own lost piece is perceived. Some texts are great 
candles, and have found out many ; but probably there 
is not one tiny taper of Holy Writ which has not shed 
its saving beams on some one or other of the Lord's 
precious ones. Certainly every Hght which the Lord has 
given has a gracious design, and will be used for a saving 
purpose. 

Lord, use me also, though I be but a poor rushlight, 
and find out some poor lost sinner by my means. 

THE KING'S EXAMPLE. 

" Alexander, when his army grew sluggish because laden with the 
spoils of their enemies, to free them from this incumbrance, com- 
inar. iod all his own baggage to be set on fire, that when they saw the 
king iiimself devote his rich treasures to the flames they might not 
murmur if their mite and pittance were consumed also. So, li Jhrist 
had taught us contempt of the world, and had not given us an instance 
of it in his own person, his doctrine had been less powerful and 
effectual." 

But what an example we now find in him, seeing he 
had not where to lay his head in life, nor a rag to cover 
him in death, nor anything but a borrowed grave in 
burial. What manner of persons ought we to be in all 
unselfishness when we have such a Lord ! He hath not 
said to us in matters of self-denial, " Take up thy cross 
and go," but " Come, take up thy cross, and follow 
me." Fired by the heroic self-sacrifice of our King, the 
sternest abnegation of self and the severest renunciation 
of the world should become an easy matter. Well may 
the soldiers endure hardness when the King himself 
roughs it among us, and suffers more than tlie meanest 
private in our ranks. 

My soul, I charge thee, endure hardness, and look not 
for ease where Jesus found death. 



46 FLOWERS PROM A 

THE BEST WEATHER FOR ME. 

'*The same weather does not fit every soil ; that drought which 
burneth up the hotter grounds comforteth those that are more chill 
and cold. If one man had another's blessings he would soon run 
wild, as another would grow desperate if he had our crosses. There- 
fore the infinite wisdom of the great Governor of the world allots 
every one his portion." 

It may be, my soul, that tliou art a dry and tliirsty 
plot which, will never yield a harvest at all unless thou 
art continually under the watery sign. For thee the 
clouds must return after the rain, and rough weather 
last long and come again. Thou hast had little sunshine, 
but thy long glooms are wisely appointed thee, for 
perhaps a stretch of summer weather would have made 
thee as a parched land and a barren wilderness. Thy 
Lord knows best, and he has the clouds and the sun at 
his disposal. Let me therefore bless him for such 
weather as he sends to me from day to day, for foul is 
fair to me if the Lord appoints it in love. 

Let me not envy those whom the sun shines on. May 
be they need it all to make them fruitful. Why should 
they not have it ? There is all the more sunshine for me 
when it shines for others. Lord, I bless thee for other 
men's joys, and I will not repine if I am denied an 
equal share with them. I have thee ; and what more 
can I ask ? 

THE PAPER-STAINER AND THE ARTIST. 

'* A paper-stainer will think a painter too curious, because his own 
work is but *a little daubing. The broad way pleaseth the world 
best, but the narrow way leadeth to life." 

Our author means that the maker of wall-papers gets 
over a great deal of ground as compared Avith the artist 
who is producing a masterly painting. Of rough daub- 
ing there is plenty to be had, and there is a great market 
for it ; and yet, though thoroughly fine art is scarce, it 



puiutan's garden. 47 

is infinitely more precious than daubing. That religion 
which needs no care, and takes no trouble, is in great 
demand in the world ; it is produced by the acre, and 
may be seen spread over the surface everywhere. Not 
so the religion of grace ; it costs many a tear, and a 
world of anxious thought, and solemn heart-searching, 
and it is but slow work at the best ; but then it is of 
great price, and is not only acceptable with God, but 
even men perceive that there is a something about it to 
which the common religious daubers never attain. If 
we let the boat drift with the stream, and leave our 
religion to random influences, without care or thought, 
what can we look for but slovenliness and worthless- 
ness ? If we would please God we must watch every 
stroke and touch upon the canvas of our lives, and we 
may not think that we can lay it on with a trowel and 
yet succeed. We ought to live as miniature-painters 
work, for they watch every line and tint. O for more 
careful work, more heart work ! Otherwise we shall 
lose that which we have wrought. 

SAVE THE JEWELS. 
* * As men in a great fire and general conflagration wiU hazard their 
lumber to preserve their treasure, their money, or their jewels, so 
should we take care, if we must lose one or the other, that the better 
part be out of hazard. Whatever we lose by the way, let us make 
sure that we come well to the end of our journey." 

Herein is wisdom. See how men throw overboard 
the lading of the ship when it becomes a question of 
saving their lives. Keason teaches them that the less 
precious must go first : they do not throw over first 
their gold and then their corn, neither do they lose their 
lives to save their ingots. So let us, above all things, 
care for our souls and their eternal interests. He whose 
house was burned to ashes kneeled down and thanked 



48 FLOWERS PROM A 

the Lord because his child was safe ; and he who loses 
the whole world but obtains eternal salvation has so 
much to rejoice in that he would waste his tears if he 
shed them over his losses. Suppose it were said that 
Virgil died worth half a million of money, it is so long 
ago that it would be stale intelligence, and if the same 
were said of a man who died yesterday there would 
really be no more in it ; yet if the soul of Yirgil's slave 
was saved, though he never owned a single gold coin, 
heaven has not ceased to ring with joy concerning his 
salvation. The soul should be our main care. It is our 
all, for it is ourself. Lord, teach men this wisdom ; 
teach me this wisdom. 

THECAEYER FOR HIMSELF. 

** He that wiU be his own carver seldom carveth out a good portion 
to himself. Wilful spirits who would fain be their own providence 
intrench upon God' s prerogative, and take the work out of his hands ; 
and, therefore, no Avonder if their wisdom be turned into folly." 

It is God's business to regulate providence, and when 
we attempt it we cause confusion and trouble. Not 
only does the carver for himself get a poor portion, but 
he frequently cuts his lingers, and spoils his clothes by 
spilling the contents of the dish. Israel went into 
Canaan well enough when the Lord led the way ; but 
when the people before the set time presumed to go up 
of their own head, they brought defeat upon them- 
selves. It is never well either to run before the cloud, 
or to stay behind it : in either case we may expect to 
fall under clouds of another sort, which will darken our 
way and becloud our peace. 

Cannot we trust the Lord with his own business ? 
Can we supplement infallible wisdom, or improve upon 
infinite goodness ? Have we not enough to do if we 



pukitak's garden. 49 

earnestly endeavor to obey our Lord ? Do Ave want to 
be rulers ? Are we tired of being disciples and fol- 
lowers ? Why do we strain after things too high for us, 
intruding into spheres which belong to God alone ? 

My soul, stand thou still, and see the salvation of 
God ! He is at the helm, and is well able to pilot the 
vessel. Keep thy hand off the tiller. Down with thee, 
unbelief, what hast thou to do while God himself pro- 
vides for his people ? 

THE GHOST. 

' * Gnilt raked ont of its grave is more frightful than a ghost, or one 
risen from the dead.*' 

Nor is the terror which sin excites in the awakened 
conscience at all an idle one. There is in evil a horror 
greater than can be found in hobgoblin, sprite, or ap- 
parition. Great is the mystery of iniquity, and he who 
comes imder its spell will have no joy of his life till the 
ghost is laid in the lied Sea of Jesus' precious blood. 
Blessed be God, our Lord has done this for us ; and we 
are not afraid of being haunted by sins which are buried 
in his grave. 

NO DAY Vv^ITHOUT THE SUN. 

"" When the sun is gone all the candles in the world cannot make 
it day." 

Vain would be the attempt, though we should kindle 
a mountain of wax. So Vvdien the Lord denies comfort 
to a man, neither wealth, nor honor, nor power can 
enlighten the darkness of his mind. We can procure 
our own sorrow, but we cannot produce our own com- 
fort. A secret curse eats out the heart of earthly joys 
when God does not smile upon them. Without God 
the world is, says Mantoii, " <:i J,-^nf )i/tff. u^hich ice cracky 



50 FLOWERS FROM A 

hut find nothing in it hut dust ^ Vanity of vanities, all 
is vanity, till the Lord becomes our all in all. Reader^ 
do you know this by personal experience ? 

AKE THEY HAPPY? 

" Do yoTi account him a happy man who is condemned to die, 
because he hath a plentiful allowance till his execution ? Or him a 
happy man that makes a fair show abroad and puts a good face upon 
his ruinous and breaking condition, while at home he is pinched with 
want and misery, which is ready to come upon him like an armed 
man ; one who revels in all manner of pleasure to-day, but is to die 
at night ? Then those who remain in the guilt of their sins may be 
happy." 

If we view unpardoned sinners aright we shall heartily 
pity them. Let their condition be what it may, at this 
present the wrath of God abideth on them, and they are 
'' condemned already ;" and as for the future, it is black 
with certain doom. Alas for the unhappy man against 
whom God sets his face ! What misery can be greater 
than to be reserved against the great day of the wrath 
of God ? We wonder at the mirth of men condemned 
to hell, their infatuation is terrible to behold. 

Hence we cannot join with them in tlieir carnal mirth. 
Sinners may dance, but it will not be to our piping. 
They may revel and riot, but we dare not countenance 
them in their jollity, for we know that their day is 
coming. Let no desire to share their base delights lurk 
in your mind if you be indeed a child of God. Be not 
envious at the transgressors. Who would envy a criminal 
about to be executed his last draught of wine ? Let not 
their frivolities attract you. Every sensible man pities 
the wretch who can dance under the gallows. Sinners 
on the road to hell sporting and jesting are worse than 
mad, or tlieir singing would turn to sighing. 



puritan's garden. 51 

THE SUN ECLIPSED. 

" To put out a candle is no great matter ; bnt to have the sun 
eclipsed, ^yhicll is the fountain of light, that sets the world a-\vonder- 
ing ! For poor creatures to lose their comforts is no great wonder, 
who, though they live in God, are so many degrees distant from him ; 
but for Christ, who was God-man in one person, to be forsaken of 
God, that is a difficulty to our thoughts and a wonder indeed, for by 
this means he was so far deprived of some part of himself." 

Yes, indeed, this is the wonder of wonders, the miracle 
of miracles, at which my mind would forever stand 
amazed. That the thrice Holy One should take the 
sinner's place, and, coming under the sinner's doom, 
should be smitten of God, is a mystery past finding out ! 
Hell is horribly amazing, but the death of Jesus is far 
more astounding, and especially that in death he should 
cry, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" 
Only the Son of God could endure this great grief ; yet 
is it a mystery of mysteries, that so divine a person 
should be capable of enduring it. The marvel is thought 
to be that a man should be able to suffer so much ; but 
the real marvel is that, being God, he should suffer at 
all that which was the very essence of his grief — tlie 
being forsaken by the Father. 

My soul, adore and love ; understand thou canst not. 
Behold the eclipse of thy soul's Sun, and know that, 
had not this been, thou wouldst have been in the dark 
forever. 

THE ASS WISER THAN THE SINNER. 

" You cannot drive a dull ass into the fire that is kindled before 
his eyes." 

The ungodly are far more brutish, for they choose the 
way of destruction, and rush with eagerness into the 
flames of hell. " Surely in vain is the net spread in the 
sight of any bird," and yet men see the net, and hasten 



52 FLOWERS FROM A 

into it. Sinners take more pains to go to hell than the 
saints to go to heaven. They are more bold to destroy 
themselves than saints are in their salvation. What 
greater proof can we have of the madness of their hearts, 
and what plainer evidence that salvation is not by the 
will of man, but by grace alone ? 

Lord, save me and mine from that obstinate love of 
sin which makes men more brutish than the ox and the 
ass. 

SUPwFACE MELTING. 

*' Some are frightened into a little religiousness in their straits and 
deep necessities, but it is poor work and superficial work. They are 
like ice in thawing weather, soft at top and hard at bottom." 

They melt, but to no very great extent. It is upon 
the surface only that they yield to heavenly influences. 
This is a sorry state of things, for it generally ends in a 
harder frost than before, and the bonds of cold indiffer- 
ence bind the very soul. Let those in whom there are 
any meltings of holy feeling take heed, for their danger 
lies in being content with ?<. partial subjection to gracious 
influences. Grace will be all or nothing : the ice must 
all melt, and the soul must flow like a river. Jesus did 
not come to create temporary and partial religious feel- 
ing, but to make new creatures of us. He will have 
nothing to do with those Ephraimites who are as half- 
done cakes, which are black on one side with too much 
baking, but have never been turned so as to feel the fire 
on the other side. The centre of the heart must feel 
the warmth of divine love, or nothing is done. 

Lord, shine on my soul till I am wholly melted, and 
all my ice has vanished. Thou alone canst break up 
nature's frost, but thou canst do it. Shine on mc, most 
patient Lord. 



puritan's GARDEIS". 53 

THE DRUNKEN SERVANT STILL A SERVANT. 

" A drunken servant is a servant, and bound to do his work ; *his 
master loseth not his right bj^ his man's default." 

It is a mere assumption, tlioiigli some state it with 
much confidence, that inabihty removes responsibihty. 
As our author shows, a servant may be too drunk to do 
his master's bidding, but his service is still his master's 
due. If responsibility began and ended with ability, a 
man would be out of debt as soon as he was unable to 
pay ; and if a man felt that he could not keep his temper 
he would not be blamable for being angry. A man may 
be bound to do what he cannot do : the habitual liar is 
bound to speak the truth, though his habit of falsehood 
renders him incapable of it. Every sin renders the 
sinner less able to do right, but the standard of his duty 
is not lowered in proportion to the lowering of his 
capacity to come up to it, or it would follow that the 
more a man is depraved by sin the less guilty his actions 
become, wdiicli is absurd. 

Every Christian will confess that it is his duty to be 
perfect, and yet he mourns over his inability to be so. 
It never enters into the Christian's head to excuse his 
failings by pleading the incapacity of his nature ; nay, 
this is another cause for lamentation. 

The standard of responsibility is the command of 
God. The law cannot be lowered to our fallen state. 
It is sin to neglect or break a divine command. All the 
theology which is based upon the idea that responsibility 
is to be measured by moral ability or inability has the 
taint of error about it. 

Lord, make me to know my obligation, that I may be 
humbled, and help me to adore thy grace, by which 
alone holiness can be wrought in me. 



54 FLOWERS FROM A 

CYPKESS TKEES. 

" Some talk, but do nothing ; like cypress trees, tall and beautiful, 
but unfruitful ; or, like the carbuncle, afar off seeming all on fire, 
but the touch discovers it to be key-cold : their zeal is more in their 
tongues than their actions." 

These are a numerous race, and never more so than at 
this time. Persecution is an unhealthy season for false 
professors, who prefer to flourish in the piping times of 
peace, when godliness is gain, and it pays to get Christ 
to-day and sell him to-morrow. The cypress tree is an 
excellent emblem of the more prominent specimens of 
this class. They are conspicuous, and aim to be so : 
rising above their fellows, they invite attention ; but 
when you turn your eyes toward them you cannot dis- 
cover even a tiny apple upon them, or any other useful 
fruit. Certainly they are shapely and stately, and when 
you have said that you have said all. They look most 
at home near the grave, and a melancholy air surrounds 
them, but still they are not half as valuable as the more 
lowly fruit-bearers which flourish unobserved with a 
cheerful verdure. Certain professors whom we know 
are prim, stiff, orderly, and melancholy, but we are not 
fond of their neighborhood ; for they yield no refreshing 
shade or nourishing fruit, and make us feel doleful to 
the last degree. 

Lord, let me be as low and unnoticed as thou pleasest, 
but do enable me to bear fruit, to the honor of thy name 
and to the comfort of thy people. 

THE EMPTY BRAG. 
'* A Roman bragged ' that he had never been reconciled with his 
mother,' implying that he had never disagreed with her. So, some 
say they were never comforted, they never needed it ; they lay noth- 
ing to heart." 

Of this company are those who were born free, and 
were never in bondage to apy man, and yet, by their 



puritan's gardei^. 55 

boastings, set the fetters of their pride a-clankiiig. Those 
who were never wounded, and therefore have never 
been healed, may glory in their state, but the time will 
come when they will wish it were otherwise with them, 
and envy the very least of those broken-hearted ones 
whom Jesus has bound up. A day shall da^vn when the 
self-righteous, who are now at ease in Zion, would gladly 
exchange places with those whom they now despise as 
morbid and melancholy. 

Lord, let me be among those who confess that they 
were once thine enemies, and have been reconciled to 
thee by tlie death of thy Son. Let me be numbered 
among those who were the servants of sin, but have, 
through thy grace, obeyed from the heart the doctrine of 
thy word. Let me ever vividly perceive that I have 
undergone a radical change, which I greatly needed, and 
without which I should have been an heir of wrath, even 
as others. 

THE HEDGE OF THORNS. 
** Wicked men are preserved in reference to the godly ; they are 
but as a defence of thorns about a garden of roses. Now, when the 
roses are cropped off, what win becorae of the thorns ?" 

This is a solemn question, and should arouse the care- 
less. Ungodly men are a sort of scaffold to God's house, 
and when the house is finished they must be pulled 
down. The husk is needful to tlie wheat at a certain 
time, but when the corn is ripe the husk is useless chaff, 
and must be separated from it. An ungodly mother is 
to a pious son as the chaff to the wheat, and ere-long the 
chaff must be driven away. What think ye of this, ye 
unsaved parents of godly children ? What think ye of 
this, ye unregenerate brothers and friends, by whom the 
godly are succored, while you yourselves remain un- 
saved ? 



56 FLOWERS FROM A 

When good men die the wicked should reflect that 
there is so much the less salt left to preserve society. 
There is one pleader less for the preservation of the 
barren tree. Every saint taken home brings the world 
so much nearer its end. Much as they may despise the 
godly, the deaths of righteous men ought to be solemn 
w\arnings to the thoughtless world, as they reflect upon 
wdiat must happen to the world when those who are its 
hglit and its salt are taken away. 

THE UNUSED KEY. 
" A key rusteth that is seldom turned in the lock." 

It becomes hard work to stir it, for it becomes rusted 
into its place. Neglect of prayer makes prayer become 
hard work, whereas it should be a privilege and a 
delight. We cannot restrain prayer, and yet enjoy 
prayer. Frequency in this matter helps fervor, and 
constancy in it brings out the comfort of it. 

Am I becoming slack in devotion ? O Lord, forgive 
me, and save me from this grave neglect before it begins 
to eat into my soul and corrode my heart ! 

THE SERPENT'S EGG. 
'^ It is easier to crush the egg than to kill the serpent.'* 
It is prudent to break up all the eggs we can find 
before the reptiles are hatched. Far greater wisdom 
will be shown in early dealing with an error or a tempta- 
tion than in allowing it time to make headway. In our 
own cases, it Vv^ill be best to correct ourselves betimes, 
and unhesitatingly to stamp out the first sparks of ill 
desire, before passion rises to a flame. A serpent's egg 
a child can break, but who is to contend with the 
venomous creature which may be hatched from it, if it 
be left unbroken ? So is it with that vice which stingeth 



puritan's gakden. 57 

like a viper. Tlie first glass can readily be refused ; it 
is quite anotlier matter to stop when the wine has entered 
the brain. The iirst impropriety we may readily avoid ; 
but when unclean desires are fully aroused, who shall 
bridle them ? 

O Lord, of thy o;race, teach me to crush sin betimes, 
lest it should gather strength and crush me. 

INVISIBLE INK. 
" Things written with the juice of a lemon, when they are brought 
to the fire are plain and legible ; so when wicked men draw near to 
the fires of hell, their secret sins stand out before them, and they cry 
out upon their beds." 

The prospect of eternity discovers those secret beliefs 
and inward fears which they labored so hard to deny 
and conceal. Few men can keep up a deceit when they 
approach their end. The skeleton hand readily tears oflE 
the mask. A death-bed is not always free from hypoc- 
risy ; but, assuredly, it is hard for the dying sinner to 
keep up his deceit. The fire of his approaching doom 
brings out the secret writing upon his soul, which even 
he himself had not before cared to read, and then he 
who thought himself a firmly rooted sceptic finds out 
that he had after all an inward conviction which he 
could not stifle, and a fear in his heart which ho could 
not smother. O that men would seek to kno^v them- 
selves, for it might turn out that the defiant blas23hemy 
of their tongues is not, by any means, a sure index that 
their heart is at rest in unbelief. 

What must be that man's condition whose very in- 
fidelity is feigned ? It is a terrible thing to be a sham 
Christian, but what must be the worthlessness of a 
hypocritical infidel ? When the genuine metal is worth- 
less, what shall we say of its counterfeit ? Yet we doubt 
not that thousands of sceptics, in their inmost hearts, 



58 FLOWERS FROM A 

believe wliat they blusteringly deny, and the day will 
come wlien, like him whose children they are, they will 
believe and tremble. 

Lord, help me to read my own heart. Let me know 
my true state, and let that state be such as thou wilt 
approve. 

ONE EAINY DAY. 

*' All the tedionsness of the present life is but like one rainy day to 
an everlasting sunshine." 

How readily, then, should we bear these shortlived 
troubles ! They are but for a moment ; just a passing 
shower, and then the sun will shine out forever. Time 
is nothing when compared with eternity. To a believer, 
this sorrowful life is hke one drop of grief lost in a sea 
of glory, one speck of rain in a year of fair weather. 
These light and momentary afflictions are not worthy to 
be compared with the eternal bliss which awaits us. 

THE TRUMPET AND THE PIPE. 

" There is a time for the trumpet as well as the pipe." 
We must sometimes sound an alarm ; we should be 
traitors to men's souls and to our Master if we always 
piped to dulcet music. He who is always comforting 
his people will find no comfort when he is called to 
answer for it before his God another day. Many souls 
need Boanerges more than Barnabas, thunder more than 
dew. By many who think themselves great judges the 
trumpet discourse is judged to be too harsh, and the 
piper is commended for his pleasant strains ; and yet the 
Lord may distribute the praise and the blame very 
differently. 

My heart, be not thou always craving for soft nmsic. 
Be wilhng to be startled and stimulated. Life is a 
conflict, and thou ncedest battle music to keep thee up 



59 



to figliting pitch. Let those who dance with the world 
pay the pipers who play to them ; as for thee, give thine 
car to the King's trumpeters. 

POISONED MEAT. 

**If a man had poison mixed with his meat, although the excel- 
lence of his digestion or the strength of his constitution might bear 
him through, yet he would run great hazard." 

Thus a soul may survive grave doctrinal error ; it is 
possible for it to struggle out of the power of a strong 
dose of Popery, or Socinianism, or " Modern Thought ;" 
but it runs great risks, of a character so violent that no 
one should lightly venture upon them. Our safest 
course is to take heed what we hear, and partake of 
nothing which comes from doubtful quarters. 

O my Lord, do thou feed me with the bread of life. 
Suffer me not to taste of Satan's dainties. 1 have no 
strength to spare. I orbid that 1 should test it by im- 
bibing the deadly teachings of those who err from thy 
truth. 

TASTE. 
" Love maketh faith more operative ; there is a knowledge by 
sight, and a knowledge by taste. A man may guess at the goodness 
of wine by the color, but more by the taste ; that is a more refresh- 
ing apprehension. Augustine prayeth, * Lord, make me taste by love 
what I perceive by knowledge.' Surely, we are never sound in 
Christianity till all the light that we receive be turned into love." 

It is so. Love comes to close dealings with truth, and 
gets a truer knowledge of it than any other grace. A 
hot iron, even though blunt, will penetrate further into 
a board than a cold tool, though it be sharp ; and so love 
enters further into truth than mere thought or study can 
do. David would have us ''taste and see;'' for the 
palate sees more into the essence of things than the eye 
can do ; love discovers more than reason can ever know. 



60 FLOWERS FROM A 

That which love learns is also more useful than the cold 
notions of the brain, for it sets men working for Jesus, 
and leads them to follow him, and makes them willing 
to suffer for him. We have heard of some who could 
not dispute for their Lord, and yet they died for him, 
and were not such among the best of his followers ? He 
who only knows truth in the light of it, is not worthy to 
be compared with the behever who receives truth in the 
love of it. 

O Lord, let me never use thy gospel as a pillow for 
my head, but as a medicine for my heart. Do not suffer 
me to be content with mere knowing ; cause me always 
to be deeply in love with thy word. 

FAR OFF LOOKS SMALL. 
" Look, as the stars, those vast globes of light, by reason of the 
distance between us and them, do seem but as so many spangles ; so 
we have but a weak sight of things which are set at a great distance, 
and their operation on us is usually but small." 

Hence the need of faith, by which things are brought 
near to us, and made to stand out in their reality. A 
far-off hell is the dread of no man, and a far-off heaven 
is scarce desired by any one. God himself, while thought 
of as far away, is not feared or reverenced as he should 
be. If we did but use our thoughts upon the matter we 
should soon see that a mere span of time divides us from 
the eternal world, while the Lord our God is nearer to 
us than our souls are to our bodies. Strange that the 
brief time which intervenes between us and eternity 
sliould appear to the most of men to be so important, 
while eternity itself they regard as a trifling matter. 
They use the microscope to magnify the small concerns 
of time ; O that they would use the telescope upon the 
vast matters of eternity! How differently would they 
order tlieir lives with judgment felt to be at their doors ! 



puritan's garden. • 01 

How would tliey seek to escai^c from infinite wrath, if 
tliey felt it to be nigli ! 

Lord, arouse me, and all around me, to a due estimate 
of eternal matters. Enable me to project my soul into 
the infinite. Break me free of this narrow present, and 
launch my soul upon the wide and open sea of the ages 
to come. Thou art in eternity, and let my soul even 
now dwell there with thee. 

PLEADING THE HANDWKITING. 

" We have a strong tie upon God, because he giveth us the prom- 
ise, which is our ground of hope. Surely we may put his bonds 
in suit, and say, * Thy handwriting is placed before thee, O Lord.' '* 

We say among men — we have it in black and white, 
and there is no getting over it : a man's handwriting 
binds him. Now, we may be sure that the Lord will 
never deny his own writing, nor run back from a bond 
given under his own hand and seal. Every promise of 
Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded 
before him with this reasonable request, ^' Do as thou 
hast said." The Creator will not cheat his creature who 
depends upon his truth ; and, far more, the heavenly 
Father will not break his word to his own child. '^ Ee- 
inember the word unto thy servant, on which thou hast 
caused me to hope," is most prevalent pleading. It is a 
double argument : it is thy wordy wilt thou not keep it ? 
Why hast thou spoken it if thou wilt not make it good ? 
Thou hast caused me to hope in it, wilt thou disappoint 
tlie hope wliich thou liast thyself begotten in me ? 

How sure are thy promises, O my God. Forgive me 
that I ever doubt them, and give me more faith, that I 
may treat them as the blessings wliich they guarantee, 
even as men pass checks and notes from hand to hand as 
if they were the gold they stand for. 



62 ^ FLOWERS FROM A 

KEEPING OUT THE COLD. 
**Aman that "wonld keep out the cold in winter shutteth all his 
doors and windows, yet the wind will creep in, though he doth not 
leave any open hole for it." 

We must leave no inlet for sin, but stop up every liole 
and cranny by which it can enter. There is need of 
great care in doing this, for when our very best is done 
sin will find an entrance. During the bitter cold weather 
w^e hst the doors, put sandbags on the windows, draw 
curtains, and arrange screens, and yet we are made to 
feel that w^e live in a northern climate : in the same way 
must wc be diligent to shut out sin, and we shall find 
abundant need to guard every point, for after w^e have 
done all, we shall, in one way or another, be made to 
feel that we live in a sinful world. 

Well, what must we do ? We must follow the meas- 
ures w^hich common prudence teaches us in earthly 
matters. We must drive out the cold by keeping up a 
good fire within. The presence of the Lord Jesus in 
the soul can so warm the heart that worldliness and sin 
will be expelled, and we shall be both holy and happy. 
The Lord grant it, for 'Jesus' sake. 

THE TRAITOK WITHIN. 

*^ A garrison is not free from danger while it hath an enemy lodged 
within." 

You may bolt all your doors, and fasten all your 
windows, but if the thieves have placed even a little 
child within doors, who can draw^ the bolts for them, 
the house is still unprotected. xVll the sea outside a ship 
cannot do it dama£>:e till the water enters w^ithin and fills 
the hold. Hence, it is clear, our greatest danger is from 
within. All the devils in hell and tempters on earth 
could do us no injury if there w^ere no corruption in our 
nature. The sparks will fall harmlessly if there is no 



puritan's garden. 63 

' tinder. Alas, our heart is our greatest enemy : this is 
the little home-born thief. 

Lord, save me from that evil man, myself. 

FIEE FROM HEAVEN. 

' ' The heathens connted that the fire which was enkindled by a 
sunbeam was more fit and pure for their altars than a coal taken from 
a common hearth." 

Herein they blindly stumbled upon the image of a great 
spiritual truth. The right lire for a preacher of the 
gospel is fire from God himself. All else defiles the 
sacrifice, and is sure, sooner or later, to die out. When 
we speak yb?' God it is a blessed thing to speak through 
God. Excitement arising from animal spirits is a poor 
substitute for the Holy Ghost. Far worse is the stimulus 
of wine or strong drink, which is an absolute profanation 
of holy things and a presumptuous provocation of God. 
To attempt to serve God under the influence of the 
'' mocker" is to mock the Most Holy One. 

To preach under the stimulus of anger is horrible, and 
to do so from motives of a^mbition is equally so. . Nadab 
and Abihu died before the Lord for offering strange fire, 
and this should be a perpetual warning to all who bear 
the vessels of the Lord. 

O fire of God, touch our lips, yea, burn in our hearts. 
Let no strange fire come near us : neither from the 
furnace of anger, nor from the flames of ambitious 
desire, nor from the flash of carnal excitement may we 
ever borrow our fires, when we wait at thine altar, O 
Lord. 

PETER ]^/IAilTYE'S ILLUSTEATION. 

Celius Secundus Curio hath a notable passage in the 
Life of Galiacius Caracciolas, as to the occasion of his 



64 FLOWERS FROM A 

conversion. One John Francis Casarta, who was en- 
lightened with the knowledge of the gospel, was very- 
urgent with this nobleman, his consin, to come and hear 
Peter Martyr, who then preached at Naples. One day, 
by much entreaty, he was drawn to hear him, not so 
much with a desire to learn and profit as out of curiosity, 

Peter Martyr was then opening the First Epistle to 
the Corinthians, and showing how much the judgment 
of the natural understanding is mistaken in things 
Bpiritual. Among other things, he used this similitude : 
'^ If a man, riding in an open country, should, afar off, 
see men and women dancing together, and should not 
hear their music, according to which they dance and 
tread out their measures, he would think them to be a 
company of fairies or madmen, appearing in such various 
motions and antic postures ; but if he came nearer, and 
heard the musical notes, according to which they exactly 
danced, he would find that to be art which before he 
thought madness. The same happeneth to him who at 
first sees a change of life, company, and fashions in his 
former companions ; he thinketh they are brain-sick and 
foolish ; but when he cometh more intimately to weigh 
the thing, and what an exact harmony there is between 
such a life and conversation and the motions of God's 
Holy Spirit and the directions of his v/ord, he findeth 
that to be the highest reason which before he judged 
madness and folly.'' 

This similitude stuck in the mind of the noble marquis 
(as he was wont to relate it to his familiar friends), that 
ever afterward he wholly applied his mind to the search 
of the truth and the practice of holiness, and left all his 
honors and vast possessions for a poor life, in the profes- 
sion of the gospel, at Geneva. 

This needs not a word from us. If ungodly men could 



puritak's CtARDe:n". 65 

only hear the music to which we dance, they would 
dance too. 

THE INWABD KEGISTEAE. 

** If conscience speaketli not, it writetli ; for it is not only a witness, 
but a register, and a book of record : ' The sin of Judali is written 
with a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond,' Jer. xvii. 1, We 
know not what conscience writeth, being occupied and taken up with 
carnal vanities, but we shall know hereafter, when the books are 
opened, Sev. xx. 12. Conscience keepeth a diary, and sets down 
everything. This book, though it be in the sinner's keeping, cannot 
be razed and blotted out. Well, then, a sleepy conscience will not 
always sleep • if we suffer it not to awaken here, it will awaken in 
hell ; for the present it sleepeth in many, in regard of motion, check, 
or smiting, but not in regard of notice and observation." 

Let those who forget their sins take note of this. 
There is a chiel within you taking notes, and he will 
pnbKsh all where all will hear it. Never say, " Nobody 
will see me," for yon will see yourself, and your con- 
science will turn king's evidence against you. 

What a volume Mr. Recorder Conscience has written 
abeady ! How many blotted pages he has in store, to 
be produced upon my trial. O thou who alone canst 
erase this dreadful handwriting, look on me in mercy, 
as I now look on thee by faith. 

STUDY PEOPORTIONS. 
" A drop of honey is not enough to sweeten a hogshead of 
vinegar." 

Under great troubles we need great grace to console 
us. We must seek the special aid of the Holy Spirit, 
and be more dilisjent and fervent in prayer, for the 
eternal consolation of the Covenant. A proportion must 
be maintained : as he who sets out upon a long journey 
takes all the more money with him, so, in prospect of a 
great trial, we should seek extraordinary grace. The 
heavier the wagon, the more horses the farmer puts into 



66 FLOWERS FROM A 

the team ; and so, the more difficult our service, the 
more grace must we bring to bear upon it. 

Lord, when we have much sorrow, let us taste more 
of thy love, and the vinegar wdll become sweet wine. 
If now thou dost try us severely, be pleased also to com- 
fort us richly. 

THE HEN WHICH DOES NOT SIT ON HEK EGGS. 

'* A sudden glance at trutJi without meditation upon it bringeth 
nothing to perfection ; as a hen that soon leaveth her nest never 
hatcheth her chicks." 

How can she ? Patience is needed, and the quiet self- 
denial by which she renders up the warmth of her heart, 
otherwise her eggs will lie as dead as stones. The value 
of truth will never be known by those who look at it 
and hurry on : they must brood over it, and cover it 
with their heart's love, or it will never become living 
truth to their souls. We must apply ourselves to a 
doctrine, giving our whole soul and heart to it, or we 
shall miss the blessing. Herein is wisdom. 

Lord, when I hear a sermon, or read in a good book, 
let me not be as the partridge which sitteth on eggs and 
hatcheth them not ; but make me to see life and power 
in thy word, and to rejoice over it as one that findeth 
great spoil. 

THE THIEF AND THE CANDLE. 

** A thief is always desirous to have the candles put out.'* 
His trade is best carried on in the dark. This is the 
reason why Satan is so dead set against faithful preachers 
and teachers : he can rob the church, and plunder souls 
so much better when the light of the gospel is with- 
drawn. How mucli better could the Pope pick jur 
purses with his purgatory, indulgences, and relics, if the 
gospel light vrere quenched among us ! The old-fash- 



puritan's garde]^. * C7 

ioned doctrines of grace are the candles of the Lord^ and 
we must keep these well alight among the people, or we 
shall soon find the Romish thieves busy among us. 

This is one reason why creeds and catechisms are so 
much detested by men of the modern school : these 
candles are not to their mind, for they prevent their 
robbing us of the treasures of divine truth. 

Lord, I bless thee for the light, and I pray that I may 
not quench even the tiniest taper by which thou dost 
enlighten me. 

AUGUSTINE'S STORY. 

** Take heed of giving \7ay to sin. The heart that was easily trou- 
bled before, when once it is inured to sin, loseth all its sensitiveness 
and tenderness, and what seemed intolerable at first grows into a 
delight. Alipius, St. Austin's friend, first abhorred the bloo% 
spectacles of the gladiators, bnt gave himself leave, through the im- 
portunity of friends, to be present for once. He would not so much 
as open his eyes at first ; but at length, when the people shouted, 
he gave himself liberty to see, and then not only beheld the specta- 
cles with delight, but drew others; to behold what himself once 
loathed." 

The story has had its counterpart in thousands of 
instances. Men who shuddered at the sight of a dead 
bird have, by familiarity with cruelty, come to commit 
murder without compunction. Those who sipped half a 
glass of wine have come to drink by the gallon. Stanch 
Protestants have given way to some little form and cere- 
mony, and become more Popish than the Romanists 
themselves. There is no safety if we venture an inch 
over the boundary line ; indeed, little allowances are 
more dangerous than greater compliances, since con- 
science does not receive a wound, and yet the man is 
undone, and falls by little and little. 

Come, my soul, leave sin altogether. Do not give 
Sodom so much as a look, nor take from it so much as a 



68 • FLOWERS FROM A 

thread. Do not set a foot within her doors, for God 
abhors the abode of sin, and would have his people 
refrain their foot from it. 



V SLEEPING BY WATEEFALLS. 

Things to which we are Tised do not work upon ns ; we are no6 
much moved with them. Custom maketh men sleep qnietly by tho 
falls of great waters, which much noise is ; and some parts of tho 
body grow callons, brawny, dry, and dead, as the laborer's hand and 
the traveller's heel, by much nse/^ 

So doth the consciQjice gradually lose its force. At 
first, like a cataract, its great roar astounds the soul, and 
eflfectually prevents its slumbers of carnal security ; but 
by and by its noise is scarcely heard, and men are even 
lulled to sleep by its sound. Now, this is to be dreaded 
exceedingly, for it is the forerunner of doom. No more 
warnings are heard, because sentence lias gone forth, and 
the man's destruction is sealed. 

Even on a smaller scale, it is a serious thing to have 
conscience lose its tenderness. Christian men, by asso- 
ciation with the world, and by a want of tliorough 
consideration, may come to do svhh. impunity things 
which would shock them if their consciences Avere in a 
healthy state. It is dangerous for a steam-engine when 
the tell-tale does not act ; and no one knows w^hat 
mischief may come through the failure of the soul's 
indicator. We wish to know w^hat is evil that wo may 
avoid it ; and it is a serious calamity w^hen the warning 
faculty has become dulled and silent through continuance 
in sin. Better far to live in perpetual anxiety to be 
right, than to remain at ease while doing wrong. 

Lord, make my conscience tender as the apj^le of my 
eye. Awaken it, and keep it awake. 



puritan's garden. 69 

THE DECOY. 
" As a fowler catcKes many birds by one decoy, a bird of tlie same 
feather, so G'od bringeth ns to himself by men of the same nature, 
and subject to the sam-e temptations and the same commands. He 
attracts us to himself by men with whom v/ie may ha^^e ordinary and 
visible commerce, and not by angels, that might affright us. He calls 
us by our fellow-creatures, who are concerned in the message as 
much as we are ; men that know the heart of a man by experience, 
and know our preju4ices and teaiptations. " 

In tliis choice of means, wisdom and condescension are 
equally manifest, for which we are bound to render 
grateful adoration. Blessed be God that he calls men by 
men, adc^3ting thus the kindest and most effectual mode 
of dealing with us. We should also learn wisdom, and 
receive practical guidance from this act of God : when 
we would win our fellow-men for Jesus let us show 
ourselves to be near of kin to them. If, by a lofty and 
distant bearing, we act as if we belonged to another race, 
we shall be poor decoy-birds. The poor bird fascinates 
its like by being of their kith aSid kin, and we must 
capture hearts for Jesus by showing that we are of like 
passions with them, and love them much. Love men to 
Jesus — that is the art of soul- winning. 

Blessed Lord Jesus, thou didst thus win my heart, for 
I had never loved thee and trusted thee if I had not 
perceived thee to be touched with a feeling of my in- 
firmity. Thy sympathetic manhood draws my manhood 
to thee, and I am won to thy Father by thy brotherly 
love, 

A DISLOCATED BONE. 
" When a bone is out of joint, the longer the setting is forborne 
the greater wiU the pain of the patient be ; yea, it may be so long 
neglected that no skill nor art can set it right again. 80 it is in the 
cure of a wounded spirit and a bleeding conscience." 

Fly, then, O wounded one, to the Lord thy Saviour, 
at once. When delays are dangerous as well as painful, 



70 FLOWERS FROM A 

who would linger ? For the most part, injured persons 
are anxious to be carried to the surgeon at once : they 
dread the inflammatory action which may be set up in 
the injured parts. In spiritual wounds the fever of fear 
soon heats into despair, unless the divine Healer is 
fetched in. When Jesus comes he saflPers no delay ; 
speedily he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up 
their wounds. Unbelief pulls off the bandages, and 
presumption declares that the limb is as sound as ever ; 
but humble faith waits only upon the Lord, and cries to 
him to make haste for her deliverance. 
O Lord, heal me speedily, I beseech thee. 

DEINKING TO DEOWN CAKE. 
" He is a mountebank who strives to make men forget their spirit- 
ual sorrows instead of leading them to the true cure. This is like a 
man in debt who drinks to drown his thoughts ; but this neither 
pays the debt nor postpones the reckoning." 

When conscience is uneasy, it is foolish as well as 
wicked to attempt to smother its cries with worldly 
merriment. Nay, let us hear it patiently. If we be in 
debt let us know it, and set about meeting our liabihties 
like honest men ; but to burn the ledger and discharge 
the clerk is a madman's way of going to work. O soul, 
be true to thyself. Face thine own case, however bad it 
may be ; for refusing to know and consider the sure facts 
will not alter or improve them. He is a cruel doctor 
who tells the afflicted patient that he ails nothing, and 
thus sets him for the time at his ease, at the terrible cost 
of future disease, rendered incurable by delay. 

Lord, bring me to the bar of my conscience now, lest 
I stand condemned at thy bar of judgment hereafter. 

THE HEN AND HEK EGGS. 
** To be careless of the degree of our grace makes way for the loss 
of the whole. Christians are like a hen when many eggs are taken 



puritan's GARDEN". 71 

out of the nest ; as long as one or two remaineth, she taketh no 
notice of it, and forsaketh not the nest. Be no^t thus foolish, but 
consider whether there be not abatement of some degree of your 
grace, though a little may remain with you still. Content not your- 
selves that all is not lost because something remains ; but seek to 
have grace in as great a proportion as formerly. ' ' 

A miser would not be content to miss a part of his 
gold because a pile still remained ; the woman in the 
parable was not easy because she had many pieces of 
money left ; neither should we be comfortable if a grain 
of grace is lost by us, even though we may be well 
assured that a saving portion still remains. Why should 
we lose any measure of grace ? "We shall need it all. 
At our strongest we are weak enough. We have never 
one whit of love to spare ; what a pity that we should 
lose a fragment of it. 

JS^o man is more sure of being poor than he who loses 
his estate insensibly. Yqu may stop a leak if you per- 
ceive it, but what can save a ship which sinks imper- 
ceptibly. We may heal a wound, but when life oozes 
away in*secret who can save us ? 

Lord, help us to perceive, to lament, and to recover 
the least loss in gracious matters. 

THE LITTLE WISP. 

" Little sticks set the great ones on fire, and a Little wisp is often 
used to enkindle a great block of wood." 

Thus have we known persons of small talent and 
position influence their superiors by their zeal. Though 
themselves able to do but little, they have been full of 
fervor, and so have ventured further than the more solid 
and prudent felt at first inclined to do. Some of us 
have had to thank God for our weaker brethren who 
have been more eager and venturesome than we were : 
these wisps and bunches of firewood, though they could 
not keep up the fire, came in very opportunely to give 



"^S FLOWERS FROM A 

the flames a start. Even rash suggestions have their 
value. Fools who are all alive may do good service to 
wise men, when they are sluggish and slow. It is right 
to get good out of all good men. When we meet with 
persons of little substance but of considerable kindhng 
power, let us put them together like m-atches and 
sphnters of wood, for the commencement of an enter- 
prise, and when we find others to be hke heavy old logs, 
let us put them to use when the flame has taken good 
hold, for if they once get thoroughly alight they will 
sustain the fire long after the straw and the shavings 
have passed away. 

Reader, which are you, a wisp or a log? In either 
case there is a place for you, and be it your ambition, in 
some way or other, to be consumed for your Lord's 
service. 

IVIATTOCKS OF GOLD. 

** To prefer onr own ease, quiet, profit, before the glory of God, is 
madness. Would it not be insanity to dig for iron with mattocks of 
gold?" 

Our author means that it must always be unreasonable 
to make the means greater than the end. When man 
lives for the glory of God he spends his strength for 
something far beyond himself in value, and thus he acts 
as reasonably as when men dig for gold with mattocks of 
iron ; but when an immortal mind spends itself upon 
decaying objects, such as transient gain and pleasure, it 
is occupied beneath itself, and is like a mattock of gold 
used in searching for base metal. It is a misapplication 
of forces for the nobler to spend itself upon the meaner. 
Men do not usually care to spend a pound in the hope of 
getting back a groat and no more, and yet, when the 
mwl is given up for the sake of worldly gain, the loss is 
greater still, and not even the groat remains. 



puritan's garde]S". 73 

Lord, arouse me from the folly of grovelling among 
earthly things. Make my soul reasonable, that it may 
devote itself to worthy pursuits ; and what can be so 
worthy of me as thyself ! Thou art above all, and 
infinitely better than all ; to thee I devote my whole 
being. O help me to live alone for thy glory. Thy 
grace I need ; let thy grace come to me with power. 

TKEES MAKKED FOR THE AXE. 

" To fix our confidence upon a dying world is folly. It is as if we 
were building our nests when the tree is being cut down, or decorat- 
ing our cabin when the ship is likely to be dashed in pieces or is 
already sinking. ' ' 

Is it a time to drive a trade for ourselves when we are 
just leaving earth, and hope soon to be in heaven ? Yet 
too many among professors are doing this. Their hearts 
are set upon their money, they build their nest in the 
golden grove ; or they are wrapt up in their children, and, 
as it were, nestle down among those who spring up as wil- 
lows by the watercourses. The axe is laid at the root of all 
earthly comforts, and, therefore, those who are taught of 
God soar aloft, and make their eyries on the Rock of 
Ages. What is our friend doing whose eyes are now 
scanning this page ? Where is your heart ? What is 
its dear delight and joy ? Is it of earth ? Then be sure 
that to earth it will return. Is your joy a thing of 
heaven ? Then alone is it stable and sure. 

My soul, the world is passing away, set not thy love 
upon it. The ship is sinking, care little about the little 
luxuries of the berth which thou hast for a while occu- 
pied in it. Up and away ! This is not thy rest. See, 
before thine eyes the fashion of this world passeth away ; 
look to eternity and to thy God, for there alone is solid 
bliss. 



74 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE SPIEE. 

"The best of God's people have abhorred themselves. Like the 
spire of a steeple, ininimus in summo, we are least at the highest. 
David, a king, was yet like a weaned child." 

Manton is not very clear about the steeple, but he 
means that the higher a spire rises toward heaven the 
smaller it becomes, and thus the more elevated are our 
spirits the less shall we be in our own esteem. Great 
thoughts of self and great grace never go together. 
Self-consciousness is a sure sign that there is not much 
depth of grace. He who overvalues himself under- 
values his Saviour. He who abounds in piety is sure to 
be filled with humility. Light things, such as straws 
and feathers, are borne aloft ; valuable goods keep their 
places, and remain below, not because they are chained 
or riveted there, but by virtue of their own weight. 
When we begin to talk of our perfection, our imperfec- 
tion is getting the upper hand. The more full we 
become of the presence of the Lord the more shall we 
sink in our own esteem, even as laden vessels sink down 
to their water-mark, while empty ships float aloft. 

Lord, make and keep me humble. Lift me nearer 
and nearer to heaven, and then I shall grow less and less 
in my own esteem. 

CHAFF AND WHEAT GONTKASTED. 

'' Light chaff is blown up and down by every wind, when solid 
grain hitcheth in, and resteth on the floor where it is winnowed." 

Constancy is one of the evidences of worth. Those 
who change their religion generally need to be changed 
by their religion before they will have any religion worth 
the having. Fickle professors are ready to be the prey 
of every new teacher ; his breath is enough to blow them 
according to his pleasure. They are everything by 
turns, and nothing long. Depend upon it, he knows 



puritan's garden. 75 

nothing of the preciousness of truth, who is ready to 
stand and deliver to every footpad of heresy who chal- 
lenges him : he who has about him doctrines which he 
esteems to be a treasure vnll fight for them, and send the 
robber to the rightabouts. 

We know one of whom we usually ask, whenever we 
see him, " What are yoxi now f " Yet are there some 
good points about him, and he has a mind open to 
conviction, too open a great deal to be a fit casket for 
the jewels of truth. We have seeii a child in a field of 
flowers, filling its little hand eagerly, and then dropping 
its posy, not for better but for other flowers. Many 
professors are such children. 

A heart which is fickle in its love is not likely to make 
a marriage with the truth. Lord, fix my heart in thy 
truth, and never let it be removed. 

THE DEATH-BLOW OF POPERY. 

*' When Dr. Day discoursed with Stephen Gardiner concerning free 
justification by Christ, saith he, * O, Mr. Doctor, open that gap to 
the people, and we are undone ! ' The more gospel there is dis- 
covered, the more Antichrist is discovered. Free grace puts the 
foundation of Popery out of course." 

The doubtful doctrine of many Protestants is a greater 
encouragement to Romanism than all her own finery can 
bring to her. Rome has gained more by Oxford than 
by all her cardinals. The glorious doctrines of grace 
are the great guns with which the Papal galleys may be 
blown out of the water. Grace is a word which is as 
obnoxious to Popery as the name of Jesus to the devil. 
Reptiles cannot bear salt, nor can Jesuits and priests 
endure sovereign grace. Their trade is gone when 
salvation is free. Their honor is gone when Christ is 
all. When people think much of Jesus and his redemp- 
tion, they are sure to think little of priests and their 



76 FLOWERS FROM A 

fiddle-faddle. It was not Liither^s arguments, but 
Luther's plain teaching of justification by faith, which 
shook the corner-stone of the Vatican. If men are saved 
by believing, they are not likely to waste money on 
purgatory pick-purse, nor on any other of the papal 
schemes for enriching the Church. 

Let us then keep gospel truth always to the front, for 
in our own hearts the best preservative against error is a 
hearty acceptance of the living Christ and his own sure 
gospel. 

PEAKLS AND SWINE. 
*' Pearls do not lose their worth though swine trample upon them." 

Scriptural truth is none the less worthy to be held and 
proclaimed because foolish and depraved men pervert it 
to their own destruction. A knife is a very useful 
article ; and, though some have committed suicide by 
its means, it is no reason why knives should be discarded. 
The doctrines of grace are pearls even after Antinomians 
have turned them over. Justification by faith is the 
crown-jewel of the gospel, though hypocrites abuse it. 
Every truth is perverted by polluted minds, but this is 
no reason for our renouncing what God has revealed ; 
rather is it a strong argument for adorning the doctrine 
of our Saviour in all things. 

My heart, see thou to it that the doctrines of grace are 
honored at thy hands. Since so many pour contempt 
upon them, do thou hold them in high esteem, and by 
thy life make them to be esteemed by others. 

PEESONAL WITNESS. 
*' A report of a report is a cold thing and of small value ; but a 
report of what we have witnessed and experienced ourselves comes 
warmly upon men's hearts." 

So a mere formal description of faitli and its blessings 



PURITA;Nr'S GARDEN". 77 

falls flat on the ear ; but wlien a sincere believer tells of 
liis own experience of the Lord's faithfulness, it has a 
great charm about it. We like to hear the narrative of 
a journey from the traveller himseK. In a court of law 
they will have no hearsay evidence. Tell us, says the 
judge, not what your neighbor said, but what you saw 
yourseK. Personal evidence of the power of grace has 
a wonderfully convincing force upon the conscience. 
" I sought the Lord, and he heard me," is better argu- 
ment than all the Butler's Analogies that will ever be 
written, good as they are in their place. 

Lord, make me ever prompt to bear my personal 
witness for thee, and eager to magnify thy grace, of 
which I have been made a partaker. Never permit me 
to be ashamed of thy salvation, but make me openly to 
proclaim thy matchless grace to me. 

FKEE, YET NOT WITHOUT LABOR. 

** There is a difference between merit and means ; a schoolmaster 
may teach a child gratis, and yet the boj^ must himself take pains to 
get his learning. There is, moreover, a difference between cause and 
effect, and the mere order of coming. Mercy is never obtained but 
in the use of means : wisdom's dole is dispensed at wisdom's gate." 
(Prov. viii. 34.) 

This is a very important remark, and tends to screen 
from the charge of legality those who earnestly exhort 
men to gospel duties. There is no merit in seeking the 
Lord ; but we may not hope to find him without it. 
Prayer does not deserve an answer, and yet we are to 
pray without ceasing, neither -may we hope to have if 
we refuse to ask. The cup must be held under the 
flowing fountain or it will not be filled, yet the cup does 
not create the water or purchase it. All the exertion 
which a man makes in running the heavenly race will 
not merit the prize of eternal life ; but it would not 



78 FLOWERS FROM A 

therefore be right for him to lie in bed and hope to win 
it. The Father freely gives the bread of heaven without 
money and without price, and yet Jesus bade men labor 
for it. 

Lord, thou hast taught me to see a great distinction 
between the idea of meriting thy favor and the truth 
that earnest effort is necessary to salvation. Help me to 
work as if my salvation depended on my working, and 
then keep me trusting in thee alone, as if I worked not 
at all. Thou givest me all things, the end and the 
means to that end. That measure of holy labor which I 
put forth is first wrought in me, and therefore would I 
be doubly diligent. I would work because thou workest 
in me, and strive for victory because thou givest me both 
the strength and the crown. 

BEATEN SPICES. 
" Spices are most fragrant when burnt and bruised, so have saving 
graces their chiefest fragrancy in hard times. The pillar that con- 
ducted the Israelites appeared as a cloud by day, but as fire by night. 
The excellency of faith is beclouded till it be put upon a thorough 
trial.'' 

Herein lies one of the benefits of afiliction, it fetches 
out latent sweetness and light. Certain herbs yield no 
smell till they are trodden on, and certain characters do 
not reveal their excellence till they are tried. The 
developing power of tribulation is very great : faith, 
patience, resignation, endurance, and steadfastness are 
by far the best seen when put to the test by adversity, 
pain, and temptation. God has created nothing in vain 
in the new creation any more than in the old, hence one 
of the sweet necessities of trial is to bring forth and use 
those precious graces which else had been uneihployed. 
God is not glorified by unused graces, for 'these lie 
hidden and bring him no honor ; may we not, therefore, 



puritan's GARDEl!^. 79 

rejoice in tribulation, because it fetches out our secret 
powers, and enables us to give glory to the Lord whom 
we love ? Yes, blessed be the pestle which bruises us, 
and the mortar in which we lie to be beaten into fra- 
grance. Blessed be the burning coals which liberate our 
sweet odors and raise them up to heaven like pillars of 
smoke. Can we not say this ? Then it is time we 
could, and perhaps our present affliction has been sent 
for that very end — that we may learn the way of com- 
plete consecration, and be made perfect through suffer- 
ing. 

STAES AND THEIR STRANGE NAMES. 

*' As the astronomers call the glorious stars bulls, snakes, dragons, 
and other strange things, so do ungodly men miscall the most shining 
and glorious graces. Zeal is fury ; strictness, nicety ; and patience, 
folly!" 

So far as the astronomers are concerned, the names 
which they give to the constellations are no dishonor to 
the lamps of heaven ; it were well if the other misnomers 
were equally indifferent. II] names are, however, a 
kind of persecution, a part of the ''cruel mockings" 
which are employed by the graceless. Evil comes of it, 
too, over and abov^e the grieving of pious men, for weak 
minds avoid zeal when it is stigmatized as fanaticism, 
and many despise patience when it is maligned as mean- 
ness of spirit. Since the weak-minded are so many, this 
is a great evil which every man who loves his fellows 
should endeavor to correct. There is a great deal in a 
name after all. A great falsehood may be wrapped up 
in a short word, and a current misnomer may produce 
widespread evil. Let us call things by their right 
names, and stand up for all that is lovely and of good 
repute. Why should men bear false witness against the 
virtues, and villify the fruits of the Spirit ? If they 



80 FLOWERS FROM A 

will do so^ let us not be so cowardly as to be silent ; let 
lis speak out boldly^ and avow our hearty appreciation 
of that which the world despises. Yie will call the stars 
stars, and let the world call them bears, and crabs, and 
scorpions, if they will. i 

THE OHILD WANTING A KNIFE. ^ 

" God knoweth what is best for us. Like foolish children, we 
desire a knife ; but, like a wise father, he giveth us bread." 

It would be a most unfatherly thing for a man to give 
his son that which would cause his death. The largest 
generosity must refuse some requests when it is a higher 
kindness to withhold than to bestow. The limit which 
is set to ,prayer — namely, that if we ask anything in 
accordance with God^s will he heareth us, is just such 
a limit as love on God's part must fix, and as prudence 
on our part must approve. Would we have the Lord 
act according to our ignorance or according to his own 
wisdom ? Shall our uninstructed self become the arbiter 
of God's providence ? Assuredly no Christian in his 
senses would propose such an arrangement. If it could 
be proposed and carried out it would place us in daily 
jeopardy, and work, at its very best, most sadly to our 
loss. 

If we could have our own will absolutely it would be 
wise not to have it, but to divest ourselves of the hor- 
rible privilege. How much more restful are our minds, 
now that we know that our Father arranges all things, 
than could possibly be the case if the responsibility of 
management rested with ourselves. Like Phaeton, who 
sought to drive the chariot of the sun, we should soon 
perish by our own folly if the reins of providence were 
placed in our feeble hands. It is better far that the 
rule should be, '' not as I will, but as thou wdlt." 



puritan's gardek. 81 

Lord, give me not what I ask, but what I should ask, 
yea, what thou seest to be most for thy glory 

THE STBIPPED STALK. 

" * AU flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of 
grass.' Many times the flower is gone when the stalk remaineth ; so 
man ofttimes seeth all that he hath been gathering a long time soon 
dissipated by the breath of providence, and he, like a withered, rot- 
ten stalk, liveth scorned and neglected." 

Alas, for such an one ! What is the daffodil without 
its golden crown, or the crocus without its cup of sun- 
shine ? Such is man without the object of his life. 
What is the thorn without its rose, or the tree without 
its leaves, or the wood without the birds of song ? Such 
is man without the comforts and joys of his being. It is 
ill to exist when life is dead, to eat and drink when the 
taste has departed, to move among men when the heart 
is broken : yet are there thousands in this condition : a 
blight is on them, their flower and glory are withered, 
and they are as those who go down into the pit. So 
have we seen a tree smitten by lightning standing still 
among its fellows, but no longer adding to the verdure 
of the forest. It has been, and this is all that we can 
say of it, for its continuance is but in semblance. Who 
has not seen men in a like condition ? Alas ! for those 
who have no hereafter when this present faileth them, 
for they fall indeed, and wither with a vengeance. 

Blessed is the man who lives in God, for no such 
withering shall happen to him. God is his crown and 
glory, the flower of his true being, and God cannot fail 
him. He shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of 
water, and not so much as his leaf shall wither. 

Lord, make me to live on thy word, which abideth for- 
ever, and then when flesh, like grass, shall fade, 1 shall 
find eternal joy in thee. 



82 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE SWORD IN A CHILD'S HAND. 
** Sometimes truth is like a keen weapon in a child's hand, it 
maketh little impression because it is weakly wielded." 

Do not therefore blame the truth, but the weak hand. 
In many cases of controversy the apparent victory of 
error has been due to the unfitness of the warrior who 
championed truth. It may for some men be their truest 
service to the good cause to leave it in stronger hands. 
We do not send women and children to our battle-fields, 
nor do we march our recruits to war before they have 
been trained ; neither should we expect raw youths and 
timid maidens to put on armour at once and face the 
adversaries of the gospel. It has happened times with- 
out number that a blustering infidel has posed a new 
convert with his sophistical arguments, and then he has 
shouted as if he had gained a triumph over the truth ; 
whereas his boasting only proved the weakness of his 
cause, or the childishness of his own mind. He who 
could crow so loudly over so slender a success must be 
conscious of inherent feebleness, and therefore he is 
astonished and elated at the semblance of victory. 

Let us all pray to be strengthened, that our inner life, 
growing day by day, may reach a fulness of stature and 
a firmness of strength worthy of the heavenly weapon 
which the Lord has put into our hand. O sacred Spirit, 
make us strong in the Lord and in the power of his 
might ! 

C^SAE KILLED WITH BODKINS. 

'* Not only do great sins ruin the soul, but lesser faults will do the 
same. Dallying with temptation leads to sad consequences. Csesar 
was killed with bodkins." 

A dagger aimed at the heart will give as deadly a 
wound as a huge two handed sword, and a little sin 
unrepented of will be as fatal as a gross transgression. 



83 



Brutus and Cassins and the rest of tlie conspirators conld 
not have more surely ended Caesar's life with spears 
than they did with daggers. Death can hide in a drop, 
and ride in a breath of air. Our greatest dangers lie 
hidden in little things. Milton represents thousands of 
evil spirits as crowded into one hall ; and truly the least 
sin may be a very Pandemonium, in which a host of 
evils may be concealed — a populous hive of mischiefs, 
each one storing death. 

Believer, thous^h thou be a little Caesar in thine own 
sphere, beware of the bodkins of thine enemies. Watch 
and pray, lest thou fall by little and Kttle. Lord, save 
me from sins which call themselves little. 

A STITCH IN TIME. 
" He who keeps a house in constant repair prevents aU fear of its 
falling to ruin ; by stopping each hole and chink as he finds it he 
keeps off greater mischief.' ' 

We shall do well to use the same economy with our 
spiritual nature. No great decays of spirit will occur if 
we look to each of our graces, and lament the first sign 
of declension in any one of them. A loose stone here, 
and a fallen tile there, and a rotting timber in a third 
place, will soon bring on a total ruin to a tenement, but 
the hand of diligence maintains the fabric. Thus must 
we watch our spiritual house, lest we fall by little and 
little. Are there no repairs wanted at this time ? Does 
not my soul show a number of flaws and decays ? Come, 
my heart, look about thee, and pray the Lord to restore 
that which has fallen. 

BUCKETS IN A WELL. 

*' The life of sin and the life of a sinner are like two buckets in a 
"weU — if the one goeth up, the other must come down. If sin liveth, 
the sinner must die." 

It is only when sin dies that a man begins truly to 



84 FLOWERS FROM A 

live. Yet we cannot persuade our neighbors that it is 
so, for their hearts are bound up in their sins, and they 
think themselves most alive when they can give fullest 
liberty to their desires. They raise up their sins, and so 
sink themselves. If they could be persuaded of the 
truth, they would send the bucket of sin to the very 
bottom that their better selves might rise into eternal 
salvation. 

Lord, make my fellow-men wise, that they may do 
this, and teach me the same lesson. I would fain sink 
every evil and selfish desire that my heart may rise to 
holiness, to heaven, to thee. 

THE UPKIGHT COLUMN. 

** A straight pillar, the more you lay npon it, the straighter it is, 
and the more stable ; but that which is crooked boweth under the 
superincumbent weight : so the more God loadeth the godly the 
more doth he hold fast his integrity, while, on the other hand, the 
more the Lord casteth in upon carnal men, the more is their spirit 
perverted." 

A little leaning from the right line is a serious thing : 
uprightness alone is safety. As our author well says, an 
upright column will bear anything ; it would be hard 
with any known force to crush an erect pillar. So, 
when a man is upright before God, neither the weight 
of good or of ill can overthrow him : he stands in his 
integrity alike under prosperity and adversity, under 
f awnings or frownings. When the foundations of the 
earth are removed, he bears up the pillars thereof. He 
is like Mount Zion, which can never be moved, but 
abideth forever. ^' Let uprightness and integrity pre- 
serve me :' ' these are a sure preservative in the day of 
trial. 

The man who gives w^ay to leanings or inclinations out 
of the straight line is never safe. It is only necessary to 



puritan's garden. 85 

supply sufficient pressure and lie falls. Whether he be 
loaded with wealth or pressed with poverty, he will come 
to the ground with equal certainty in due time. He is 
out of the perpendicular, and he must fall sooner or 
later. 

O Lord, give me to stand before thee in perfect up- 
rightness of heart I Take from me any inclination to 
the right hand or to the left, and establish me upon the 
eternal basis of thy grace, for Jesus' sake. Upright 
Lord, thou alone canst set me upright, and keep me so ; 
hearken to my prayer, I beseech thee. 

THE MISER'S BAG OF MONEY. 

** Affection is a great friend to memory ; men remember what they 
care for : an old man will not forget where he laid his bag of gold. 
Delight and love are always renewing and reviving their object upon 
onr thoughts. David often asserteth his delight in the law, and 
because of this delight it was always in his thoughts (Ps. cxix. 97). 
* O how love I thy law ! It is my meditation all the day.' " 

By this, then, we may judge ourselves whether we 
have a true and lively love to God and his kingdom. If 
from day to day we have no thought of him or of his 
ways, we may be sure that our affection to him, if it be 
sincere, is a.s&uredly by no means fervent. A man hath 
little love to his espoused if he thinks of others more 
than of her. Where the thoughts fly, there doth the 
heart he. JSIot that we c^i be always thinking of divine 
things, for we could not perform the duties of our call- 
ing if we gave no thought to them, and especially in 
certain pursuits of life the mind must for the time be 
concentrated upon the work in hand ; but still our mind 
must be ready to fly to Jesus as soon as the pressure is 
removed. Love will break over all laws, and rules, and 
engrossments to have a word with its beloved, and so 
will the soul do when Jesus is truly its delight. It will 



86 PLOAVERS FKOM A 

fly to revel in liis clianns as the miser liastens to count 
his money. 

Come, my heart, take thyself to task ! Is it not true 
that if thou wert warmer thy memory would be more 
retentive ? Be penitent, then, because thou art con- 
victed of coolness to thy Well-beloved. Thy frequent 
forgetfulness of him proves the slackness of thy love. 

STOKY OF THE KNIGHT. 

" Thuanus reporteth of Lndovicus Marsacus, a tnight of France, 
■when he was led, with other martyrs that were bound with cords, to 
execntion, and he for his dignity was not bound, he cried, ' Give me 
my chains, too ; let me be a knight of the same order.' " 

Certainly, it is an honor to be made vile for God ; 
David purposed to abound in such vileness (2 Sam. 
6 : 22). Shame for Christ's sake is an honor no more 
to be declined than the highest dignity a mortal man can 
wear. Among the early Christians the relatives of mar- 
tyrs were a sort of aristocracy, and the martyrs them- 
selves were regarded as the nobility of the Church. We 
need a ^pice of the same spirit at this day. A true 
believer should tremble when the world commends him, 
but he should feel complimented when it utterly despises 
him. 

What do we suffer, after all ? The most of us are but 
feather-bed soldiers. Our ways are strewn with roses 
compared with those who endured hardness in the olden 
time. We are poor and mean successors of noble an- 
cestors — ennobled by their supreme sufferings. If we 
cannot reach their superior dignity, nor hope to wear the 
ruby crown of martyrdom, at least let us not shun such 
glory as may be obtainable, but accept with cheerful 
patience whatever of opprobrium this worthless world 
may honor us with. 



puritan's garden. 87 

BEKNARD'S CHARITY. 

** \VTien Bernard chanced to espy a poor man meanly apparelled, 
he would say to himself, ' Truly, Bernard, this man hath more 
patience beneath his cross than thou hast ; ' but if he saw a rich man 
delicately clothed, then he would say, ' It may be that this man, 
under his delicate clothing, hath a better soul than thou hast under 
thy religious habit ! ' " 

This showed an excellent charity ! Oh, that we could 
learn it ! It is easy to think evil of all men, for there is 
sure to be some fault about each one which the least 
discerning may readily discover ; but it is far more 
worthy of a Christian, and shows much more nobility of 
soul, to spy out the good in each fellow-believer. This 
needs a larger mind as well as a better heart, and hence 
it should be a point of honor to practise ourselves in it 
till we obtain an aptitude for it. Any simpleton might 
be set to sniff out offensive odors ; but it would require 
a scientific man to bring to us all the fragrant essences 
and rare perfumes which lie hid in field and garden. 
Oh, to learn the science of Christian charity ! It is an 
art far more to be esteemed than the most lucrative of 
human labors. This choice art of love is the true 
alchemy. Charity toward others, abundantly practised, 
w^ould be the death of envy and the Hfe of fellowship, 
the overthrow of self and the enthronement of grace. 

Charity, be thou my classics, my poetry, my science, 
my music, for thou art more to be desired than all these. 
Thou art a Godlike thing, and I would be filled with 
thee. 

A SWORD NOT TO BE JUDGED BY THE BELT. 

*' We do not judge a sword to be good merely because it hangs by 
a golden belt, or because it is set in a jewelled hilt." 

Neither is a doctrine to be valued because a fine orator 
delivers it in gorgeous speech with glittering words. A 
lie is none the better for being bespangled with poetic 



88 FLOWEES FROM A 

phrases and liigli-soimding periods. Yet half our people 
forget this, and glittering oratory fascinates them. Alas, 
poor simpletons ! 

The same blunders are made about men, who should 
ever be esteemed according to their native worth, and 
not according to their position and office. What mis- 
takes we should make if we considered all the hangers- 
on of great men to be themselves great, or all the fol- 
lowers of good men to be themselves necessarily good. 
Alas ! the Lord himself had his Judas, and to this day 
swords of brittle metal hang at the golden girdle of his 
Church. A man is not a saint because he occupies a 
saintly office, or repeats saintly words. 

No ; the test of a sword's goodness is to be found in 
battle. Will its edge turn in the fray, or will it cut 
through a coat of mail ? Will our faith bear affliction ? 
Will it stand us in good stead when we are hand to hand 
with the enemy ? Will it avail us in the dying hour ? 
If not, we may suspend it on the glittering belt of great 
knowledge, and hold it by the jewelled hilt of a high 
profession ; but woe unto us ! 

Lord, give me the true Jerusalem blade of childlike 
faith in thee, and may I never rest content with a mere 
imitation thereof. 

THE MOON ECLIPSED ONLY AT THE FULL. 

" The moon is never eclipsed but when it is at the fuU. Certainly 
God's people are then in most danger." 

When all goes well with them in house and field, in 
basket and in store, then should they look lest they be 
full and forget the Lord, and so become eclipsed. For 
the world to come between us and our Lord is very easy 
but very terrible. When all is apparently prosperous as 
to soul matters, and neither doubt, nor fear, nor tempta- 
tion comes in, then also should the heart look well to its 



puritan's GARDE2!f. 89 

bearings lest at this very moment some evil should inter- 
pose between God and the soul^ and darkness should be 
the fearful result. 

Kemember this, dear reader : eclipses happen at the 
full moon. Look to thyself, then, in thy moments of 
greatest happiness and peace, for then is the time of 

peril. 

Whene'er becalmed I lie, 

And storms forbear to toss ; 
Be thou, dear Lord, still nigh. 
Lest I should suffer loss. 
Far more the treacherous calm I dread, 
Than tempests thundering overhead, 

EAGLES AND FLIES. 
*' Walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom. 
(1 Thess. 2 : 12.) Live as kings, commanding your spirits, judging 
your souls to be above ordinary pursuits. It is not for eagles to catch 
flies. As of old it was said, * Cogita te Csesarem esse ? ' — ' Remember 
that thou art Cessar, ' so say we to each believer, ' Remember that 
thou shalt one day be a king with God in glory, and therefore walk 
becomingly.' " 

This is important teaching, and much needed in these 
days. Many who declare themselves to be eagles spend 
the most of their lives in hawking for flies : we even 
hear of professing Christians frequenting the theatre. 
Instead of acting like kings, many who claim to be the 
sons of God act as meanly as if they were sculh'ons in 
the kitchen of Mammon. They do not judge them- 
selves to be Csssars, but they demean themselves as if 
they were Caesar's slaves, living upon his smile, and 
asking his leave to move. What separation from the 
world, what brave holiness, what self-denial, what 
heavenly walking with God ought to be seen in those 
who are chosen to be a peculiar people, the representa- 
tives of God on earth, and courtiers of the new Jeru- 
salem above ! As the world waxes worse and worse, it 



90 FLOWERS FROM A 

becomes men of God to become better and better. If 
sinners stoop lower, saints must rise higher, and show 
them that a regenerate hf e cannot share in the general 
corruption. 

O Lord, 1 know that in Christ Jesns thou hast made 
me a king ; help me, then, to live a right royal life. 
Lay home to my conscience that question — What manner 
of persons ought we to be ? and may I so answer it that 
I may live worthy of my high calling. 

BEIDLES FOE OLD HOKSES. 
*' Not only colts, but horses already broken, need a bridle." 

Indeed they do, and so also do we who are advanced 
in years and full of experience. Old men are not always 
wise men. Passions which should have been by this 
time quite subdued still need bit and bridle, or they may 
hurry us into fatal errors. Flesh does not improve by 
keeping, nor do corruptions sweeten by the lapse of 
years. New converts need to watch in the morning of 
their days, but old saints must be equally on their guard, 
for the hours become no safer as they draw toward 
evening. We are all within gunshot of the enemy as 
long as we are this side of Jordan. 

" Without me ye can do nothing," is as true of strong 
men as of babes in grace. Temptation, like fire, will 
burn where the wood is green, and certainly it hath no 
less power where the fuel is old and sere. We shall 
need to be kept by grace till we are actually in glory. 
Those who think themselves at heaven's gate may yet 
sin their souls into the deepest hell, unless the unchanging 
love and power of God shall uphold them even to the 
end. Lord, bit and bridle me, I pray thee, and never let 
me break loose from thy divine control. Conduct me 
every mile of the road till I reach my everlasting home. 



puritan's GARDE2f. 91 

THE COMPASSES. 
*' As in a pair of compasses, one part is fixed in the centre, whilst 
the other foot wandereth about in the circumference, so whatever 
subjects we may think upon, the soul must stay on Christ, and be 
fixed on him." 

While we search after evidences and additional com- 
forts we must not leave onr simple trust in Jesus. 
Whatever sweep our knowledge may take as we advance 
in years, we must retain most fixedly the one and only 
centre which is worthy of a regenerated soul, namely, 
our Lord Jesus. If the circle of our energies should 
encompass all the world, still must the heart stay with 
delightful continuance with the Well-Beloved, Im- 
movable and steadfast must we be, our willing soul 
unswervingly loyaLto its sole object of trust and love, 
the one and only Lord of our whole being, the chief 
among ten thousand, the altogether lovely. 

To whom else can we go ? Where else is there rest 
for us ? Let us then abide in Christ Jesus. Fix the 
centre with the whole force of a resolute heart, nay, 
more, with the whole power of divine grace, l^ever 
tolerate the idea of novelty in this matter. Here there 
can be no advance ; we are in him rooted and grounded. 
Only so can we strike out the true circle of life : with- 
out a fixed centre the sphere can never be true. 

O thou who art the same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever, hold me fast forever, and bid me sing, '' O God, 
my heart is fixed, my heart is fixed !" 

THE LAKE AND THE FOWLER. 
'' Men of abstracted conceits and sublime speculations are but wise 
fools ; like the lark, that soareth high, peering and peering, but yet 
falleth into the net of the fowler. Knowledge without wisdom may 
be sOon discerned ; it is usually curious and censorious." 

This is abundantly seen in many who pretend to inter- 
pret seals and vials, and yet neglect family devotion and 



92 FLOWERS FROM A 

the plain precepts of the Word. Such are found oc- 
cupying their time in hair-sphtting over difficult points, 
but they do not labor to maintain the unity of the body 
of Christ. They are very acute upon speculative topics 
of no consequence whatever, but they divide on the 
slightest pretext from the rest of the brotherhood. We 
have enough to do with watching over our own hearts 
and endeavoring to bring sinners to Christ without be- 
coming more nice than wise upon matters of theological 
subtlety and word^spinning. The wide difference be- 
tween wisdom and knowledge is forgotten by many : 
they hoard up knowledge of a peculiar sort like coUectoi^s 
of coins, and yet they use it not as merchants use money, 
but keep it for show, a rarity to be tooked at, labelled, 
put away in a glass case and exhibited to those who are 
admirers of curios and rarities. 

Lord ! help me to soar like the lark, but keep me 
clear of the net. Make me practical, and let not my 
head swim with airy notions till I rush upon my own 
destruction. 

SATAN CASTING OUT SATAN. 
*' Lusts are contrary one to another, and therefore jostle for the 
throne, and -asiiaUy take it by tiirns. As our ancestors sent for the 
Saxons to drive out the Picts, so do carnal men drive out one lust by 
<*nother, and, like the lunatic in the Gospel (Matt, xvii.) fall some- 
times into the water, and sometimes into the fire.'* 

Of what use then can reforms be which are wrought 
by an evil agency ? If sobriety be the fruit of pride, it 
grows upon a pernicious root, and though the body be 
no longer intoxicated, the mind will be drunken. If 
revenge be forsworn from considerations of avarice, the 
meanness of the miserly is a small gain upon the fury of 
the passionate. If outward irreligion be abandoned out 
of a desire to gain human applause, the Pharisee will be 



puritan's aAKDEK. 96 

a very slender improvement upon tlie prodigal. Satan's 
casting out of Satan is deceitful work : liis intent no 
doubt is to establish his empire bj pretending to over- 
throw it. 

W05 there must be another power at work, or little is 
accomplished. Any fancied good which one devil may 
bring another is sure to take away, and the last end of 
the man whom Satan mends is always worse than the 
first. A stronger than he must enter in by force of 
grace, and hurl him out by divine force, and take full 
possession, or the man maybe another man but not a 
new man. 

Lord Jesus, cast out all the devils from mv soul at 
once, and never permit one of them to return. 

THE DOG. 
*' Satan is like a dog that standeth wagging his tail and looking to 
receive somewhat from those that sit at table ; but if nothing be 
thrown out, he goeth his way. So doth Satan watch for otav consent, 
as Benhadad's servants did for the word * brother.' He looketh for a 
passionate speech, an unclean glance, gestures of wrath, or words of 
discontent, and if he findeth none of these, he is discouraged." 

It would be a great shame to please the dog of hell. 
Nay, let him look and long, but let him have never a 
look, or a word, from us to stir his wicked heart. O for 
grace ! to starve him out, and to bid him begone to his 
own den. " Neither give place to the devil," says the 
apostle. We are not ignorant of his devices. To tempt 
him to tempt us is indeed a superfluity of naughtiness. 
Let this serpent eat his own meat, which is the dust ; by 
no means let us turn servitors to wait upon our enemy. 

We have need to watch and pray in the presence of 
this crafty one. When he came to our Lord, he found 
nothing in him, but in us he sees much which favors 
him. O Lord, bid him get behind thee once again ! 



94 FLOWERS FROM A 

Deliver iis from the evil one, and bid liim depart from 
US. This we hmnblj entreat of thee. 

GIBEONITES. 
^' Make your sorrows to draw water for the sanctuary. Our natural 
affections, like the Gibeonites, must not be exterminated, but kept 
for temple service." 

The Stoic slays his emotions, the Christian sanctifies 
them to noblest ends. It is like a brute not to feel, it is 
like a man to feel tenderly, and it is like a Christian to 
feel in a chastened manner. We may weep, and we 
may rejoice, and when our weeping is in sympathy with 
the afflicted, and our rejoicing is in brotherly fellowship 
with the joyful, the Gibeonites are indeed made hewers 
of wood and drawers of water for the sanctuary. 

Business, marriage, travelling, recreation, literatiu'e, 
music, art, should all be placed in the same subordinate 
condition. They are not distinctly spiritual, and as mere 
human matters they may be either right or wrong ; but 
it is ours to lay the yoke upon them, and make them 
serve our spiritual designs. They w^ill make admirable 
servants ; we can never allow them to be our masters. 
The Gibeonites might not be killed, but they were to be 
placed under the yoke, and made to be useful, and the 
same must be done with the matters which we have 
mentioned. It would be foolish to endeavor to put 
these things down, for they are incidental to human 
existence ; it is wise therefore to subdue them to do 
servile work for the Lord. 

O Lord, give me ever so to use worldly things as 
never to be worldly myself : rather may I sanctify them 
by the word of God and prayer ! 

EXPENSIVE ECONOMY. 

" The inhabitants of Constantinople would afford no money to the 
Emperor Consttintinus Pala^logus, when he begged from door to door 



95 



for a sup'pl}^ for his soldiers ; but what was the issue ? The balrbarous 
enemy won the city and got all. The like story there is of Musteat- 
zem, the covetous caliph of Babylon, who was such an idolater of 
his wealth and treasures that he would not spend anything for the 
necessary defence of his city, whereupon it was taken, and the caliph 
famished to death, and his mouth by Haalon, the Tartarian con- 
queror, was filled with melted gold." 

Such economy is evidently most extravagant. May 
not the like be said of those who give grudgingly to the 
cause of God, and of those v^ho ruin their souls in order 
to increase their peK ? They refuse to be losers for 
Christ, and so lose their souls. Religion might cost 
them a loss in business, by leading them to close the 
shop on the Sabbath, or to act with strict uprightness : 
this they cannot afford, and so they throw away their 
souls in order to keep their coppers. Yerily, the race 
of fools has not yet died out. Thousands still think it 
profitable to gain the world and lose their own souls. 

O Lord, teach me true wisdom ! Make me willing to 
lose wealth, and health, and home, yea, and my life also, 
in order that I may follow Jesus and possess his salva- 
tion. 

SAMSON'S LOCKS. 
'* Single prayers are like the single hairs of Samson ; but the 
prayers of the congregation are like the whole of his bushy locks, 
wherein his strength lay. Therefore you should, in TertuUian's 
phrase, quasi manu facta, with a holy conspiracy, besiege heaven, 
and force out a blessing for your pastors." 

This is a fine metaphor wherewith to set forth united 
prayer. One prayer is a hair of Samson, hat our united 
supplications are as the seven locks of that hero's head. 
May God grant that the church may never be shorn of 
the locks of prayer, wherein her great strength lieth, 
and her great beauty also. 

The cumulative power of prayer is well worthy of 
notice. Abraham alone could not by intercession save a 



96 FLOWERS FKOM A 

Single city of the plain, though his pleas were very 
weighty. Lot's poor prayer was to Abraham's as an 
ounce to a ton, and yet that last ounce turned the scale, 
and Zoar was preserved from the burning. The agree- 
ment of two saints is a grand force against which very 
few obstacles can stand ; and when it comes to a praying 
band, all the smiths in Jerusalem cannot make bolts for 
the doors, or chains for the wrists, sufficiently strong to 
hold Peter in prison. Come, then, to the meetings for 
prayer, for there is the strength of the church, and there 
are her Samson's locks. 

IMPERIAL EEYENUES, AND SMALL CHARGES. 

" It is foUy to think that an emperor's revemie will not pay a 
beggar's debt. Christ hath undertaken to satisfy for the sinner's 
debt, and he hath money enough to pay.' ' 

Delightful thought ! Great as is my debt before the 
justice of God, it can assuredly be met by the riches in 
glory which belong to the Lord Jesus. It is an over- 
whelming debt to me, but now that my Redeemer has 
shed his blood, it will be as nothing to him. A Csesar's 
revenue would' discharge a poor man's liabilities and 
would scarcely suffer diminution ; far more will the 
infinite merits of Jesus discharge my sins, and remain 
infinitely full. Where, then, can unbelief find an ex- 
cuse for its existence ? There can be no real ground for 
fear. Come, my heart, look not so much at thy present 
and urgent need as at thy Lord's suppHes which are 
boundless, and all thine own. 

WHY MEN ATE ACOENS. 
" The main reason why men dote upon the world is becanse they 
are not acquainted with a higher glory. Men ate acorns till they 
were acquainted with the use of corn ; a candle is much ere the sun 
riseth." 

Now it has happened unto us to eat the bread of 



PURITAK'S GARDEN". 97 

angels, and to see the Sun of righteousness, and never 
again can we find content in baser things. All the joys of 
the world are now but beggarly elements to us, compared 
with our delight in Christ Jesus our Lord. Carnal 
wisdom has become folly in our esteem ; the mirth of 
fools is a weariness ; and the pomp and glory of earth 
are mere baby toys, scarce worthy of a glance. What 
grace is this which has revealed such precious things to 
us ! Worldly-wise men think us fanatics and fools, but 
we know what they are, and where the folly really lies. 
Oh that their eyes were opened to join with us in the 
joys which they ridicule ! If they will persist in their 
bhndness it shall not be for want of plain testimony on 
our part, for we are bold to declare in all companies that 
there is more satisfaction in Christ's worst things than in 
sm's best things, and that a half -hour of his presence is 
better than all the feasting of royal courts for a lifetime. 
Oh that they would believe us so far as to try for them- 
selves ! Alas, they munch their acorns, and scorn the 
bread of life ! 

NEW LEAVES PUSHING OFF THE OLD 
" Old leaves. i£ they remain upon the trees through the autumn 
and the winter, fall off in the spring." 

We have seen a hedge all thick with dry leaves 
throughout the winter, and neither frost nor wind has 
removed the withered foliage, but the spring has soon 
made a clearance. The new life dislodges the old, 
pushing it away as unsuitable to it. So our old corrup- 
tions are best removed by the growth of new graces. 

Old things are passed away ; behold all things are 
become new." It is as the new life buds and opens 
that the old worn-out things of our former state are 
compelled to quit their hold of us. Our wisdom lies in 
hvmg near to God, that by the power of his Holy Spirit 



98 FLOWERS FROM A 

all our graces may be vigorous, and may exercise a sin- 
expelling power over onr lives : the new leaves of grace 
pushing off our oA sere affections and habits of sin. 

With converts from the world it is often better not to 
lay down stringent rules as to worldly amusements, but 
leave the new life and its holier joys to push off the old 
pleasures. Thus it will be done more naturally and 
more effectively. 

Lord, let thy life in me push off the relics of my 
former death, that 1 may put on the b^w man, and 
manifest the energy of thy grace. 

THE KING AND HIS ATTENDANTS. 
" Those who entertain a king, reckon upon receiving his train." 

It is not fit that he should come alone. So those who 
receive Jesus by faith into their hearts, receive also his 
church, his ministers, his word, and his cause. They 
take the Saviour and all his belongings. As the old 
proverb hath it, " Love me, love my dog," so they love 
all who belong to Jesus for their Lord's sake. 

Where Jesus comes with pardon, he brings all the 
graces with him, and we are right glad to entertain them 
all : not only faith, but love, hope, patience, courage, 
zeal, and the whole band of virtues. It would be idle 
to say, " Christ is in me," if none of the graces of his 
Spirit lodged within our souls. Come in, great Lord, 
and dwell in my heart, and bring all thy disciples with 
thee, and all thy belongings, yea, and thy cross itself. 

AN IMAGINAKY CAEPENTEE. 
'* Peter Martyr sets forth the holiness of God, by this comparison : 
* Take a carpenter when he hath chalked and drawn his line, then he 
goes and chops the timber. Sometimes he chops right, and some- 
times amiss. Why ? Because he hath an outward rule, a line outside 
of himself according to which he cuts the timber. But if you could 
suppose a carpenter that could never chop amiss, but his hand should 



puritan's garden. 99 

be his line and rnle ; if he had such an equal poise and touch of his 
hand, that his very stroke is a rule to itself, then he could not err.' 
By this plain and homely comparison he did set forth the holiness of 
God and the creature. The holiness of the creature is a rule without 
us, therefore sometimes we chop amiss ; but God's holiness is his. 
inward rule, it is his nature, he can do nothing amiss." 

This is an instructive simile, and may be carried 
further. Sanctification is a renewal of the heart, which 
creates such a rule within us. The Holy Spirit works 
in us, according to our measure, a law of our nature, so 
that it cannot sin because it is born of God ; for, after 
all, it is the nature of the man which determines the 
nature of his deeds. The fruit is according to the tree. 
The evil of our life arises from the living evil within. 
If we could he perfect, we should act perfectly. Hence 
the man himself is first to be looked to. 

Lord, purge us, yea, make us new creatures in Christ 
Jesus, that out of us good may come because thou hast 
made us good. 

RECORDS OF LIFE. 
" The story of our lives is all engraven upon the heart, and when 
God awakeneth the conscience, it tells of past sin. God will open 
the sinner's eyes in the next world, not by a holy illumination, but 
by a forced conviction. We are told in Rev. 20 : 12, * The books 
were opened,' and one of these books is conscience, and though it 
be in the sinner's keeping, and therefore may become blurred and 
defaced, yet our story will be legible enough, and forgotten sins will 
stare us in the face : * Be sure your sin will find you out.' (Num. 
32 : 23.) We forget it now, and think we shall never hear of it 
more ; but God can make all occur to memory as fresh as if newly 
committed, and in an instant represent the story of an ill-spent life, 
and show us all the thoughts, words, and actions that ever we have 
been guilty of. The paper goeth white into the printing-house ; but 
within one instant it is marked within and without, and cometh 
forth stamped with words, and lines, and sentences, which were in 
no way legible there before ; even so will it be with the soul when 
conscience is aroused at the last." 

Our lives to-day are like the picture upon the photog- 



100 FLOWERS FROM A 

rapher's plate before he develops it ; God liatli but to 
put tlie soul into a bath prepared according to his divine 
art, and all the sins of his whole existence will stand out 
clear before the sinner's astonished gaze. Nothing can 
be forgotten : all the past must live again. Let the 
unconverted tremble as they think of this, and let the 
saved ones bless the Lord Jesus who has so blotted out 
their sins that no power or process can ever bring them 
again to remembrance. 

THE APPLES DISPLAY THE SAP. 

" The apples appear when the sap is not seen. It is the operative 
and lively graces that will discover themselves. A man may think 
well, or speak well ; but it is that grace which governeth his actions 
which most showeth itself." 

There could be no apples if there were no sap, but 
the sap itself has no manifestation except in the leaves 
and fruit. If we have inward grace it is well for our- 
selves ; but others cannot see it or profit by it till it 
works itself into our daily life. This it is bound to do, 
and we may not think lightly of such a result, for as it 
would be a token that something ailed the sap of the tree 
if it brought forth no fruit in its season, so it would be 
a mournful proof of spiritual declension if our conversa- 
tion yielded none of the graces of the Spirit. It is- all 
very fine to plead as some have done that they are doing 
inside work ; if their fruit is all within they will have 
to be cut down that it may be got at. A true epistle of 
Christ is not written in invisible ink, and then sealed up, 
but it is known and read of all men. A tree of the 
Lord's right-hand planting bears fruit to his honor and 
glory, visible to those who are round about him. 

Lord, make me one that can bear to be looked at. 
Make my inward grace to be so vigorous that my outer 
life may be fruitful to thy praise. May no one have to 



PURITAK'S GA.RDE:Nr. 101 

enquire about the sap ; may they see so many baskets of 
frait that they may be quite sure about the hfe of the 
tree. 

THE MADMAN OF ATHENS. 

r *' As the madman at Athens challenged all the ships that came into 
the harbor for his own, so carnal men claim an interest in heavenly 
things which are none of theirs. Deceived hearts believe they are 
running to heaven when they are posting to heU ; like rowers in 
a boat, they look one way, and go contrary." 

Eeligious delusions may be very comfortable while 
they last, but what will be the misery of their breaking 
up ! To have all your fancied godhness vanish like the 
mists before the sun will be grievous indeed. In pro- 
portion to the confidence inspired will be the desjDair 
involved. The poor madman in Bedlam in the olden 
time placed a straw crown upon his head, and issued 
orders like a Caesar ; it was liis madness which made 
such a farce a comfort to him. In the next world the 
sinner's madness will be over, he will be sobered by his 
despair : what then will he think of his former fancies 
and fond self flatteries ! What an awaking, from the 
dreams of bhss to the realities of hell ! 

O my soul, see thou to it that all thy hopes are well 
grounded ! Call not Christ thine, and heaven thine, if 
they are not so. Do not play the fool with eternal 
things, but get a sure title to everlasting blessedness. 

THE UNFAITHFUL STEWARD. 

** We shall be called to an account, what we have done with our 
time, and talents, and interests, and opportunities : * At his coming 
our Lord will require his own with usury.' (Luke 19 : 23.) Ah, 
unfaithful ones, what will you say, when you cannot shift and lie ? 
Will this be an answer : I spent my time in serving my own lusts ? 
This will not avail you. If a factor (or steward), that is sent to a 
mart or fair, should stay guzzling in an inn, or ale-house, and there 
spend all his money, which was to be employed in traffic, could he 
excuse himself by pleading that he was busy with his cups ? Oh, 



102 FLOWERS FROM A 

what a dreadful account will poor souls make, that have spent their 
time either doing nothing, or nothing to purpose, or that which is 
worse than nothing, even sin which will undo them forever !" 

Come, my heart, call thyself to account. What hast 
thou been at ? Hast thou served thy Lord, or hast 
thou wasted his goods and his time ? The Lord will 
require this of thee before long, therefore require it of 
thyself. How would it fare with thee if the judgment- 
day commenced to-morrow, and on leaving thy bed in 
the morning thou shouldst find the dread assize already 
commenced ? Say, my soul, if thou wert at this instant 
called away, how stand accounts between thee and thy 
Lord ? 

THE SUNFLOWEK AND THE AQUEDUCT. 

'* As the flower of the sun doth follow the sun, and openeth and 
shutteth according to the absence of that luminary ; so doth the 
heart of a Christian move after God.'* 

The divine nature within us followeth hard after the 
divine nature, and longeth to drink in its warmth and 
light. Everything acteth according to its nature. '' We 
say^ ' Aqua in tantum ascendit ; ' and it is true that 
neither water nor nature riseth higher than its spring- 
head and centred 

So when self is our principle and end, we rise no 
higher than ourselves ; but when God becometh the 
life of our soul we follow after him, and rise far above 
the highest point to which nature could conduct us. 
His grace in us strives to rise to the point from which it 
came, and it will never rest till it does so. This argues 
a high destiny for the believer, and is the foretaste of it. 
Hence the need to have a good and true beginning, and 
to draw our life from the eternal fountains above ; for, 
apart from this, there will be no rising up to heaven. 

How sweet it is to find our mind and heart turning 



PUKITAK'S GARDEN". 103 

Godward, as the lieliotrope seeks tlie sun ! To find our 
joys begin and end with manifestations of Jesus' love ! 
It is well to pine till the Lord's face be revealed^ and 
only to flourish when he imparts his gracious influences. 
It is wise to turn away from all things in which God is 
not evidently present, but carefully to follow each 
movement of his shining face that we may always front 
his love, and bask in the beams of his favor. 

Whatever partakes largely of the light of Jesus sliould 
be prized by us, whether it be fashioned after our own 
favorite model or no : the sun is there, and we must 
turn to it. '' Anything of Jesus" should be a sufficient 
attraction to us. A gleam of his sunlight should be 
prized, for it is far more than we deserve ; and we 
should joyously receive it as the crocus drinks in the 
rich gold of the spring sun, and brims its cup therewith. 
What will it be to dwell above, where the light no more 
goeth down, and the flowers feel no cold drops of the 
night ? 

A DECAYING BOOT HAS WITHERING BRANCHES. 

'* As when the root of a tree perisheth, the leaves keep green for a 
little, but within a while they wither and fall off ; so love, which is 
the root and heart of all other duties, when that decayeth, other 
things decay with it. The first works go off with the first love ; at 
least, are not carried on with such care, and delight, and compla- 
cency, as they should be." 

Swiftly other works follow, withering in their turn ; 
for the fatal blow has been struck, and failure of every 
good thing is but a matter of time. Could the love of 
saints to Jesus utterly die out, all their virtues must die 
also, for love is the root of all. The outward form of 
piety might survive, as the wretched counterfeit of holi- 
ness, but what would be its worth ? Even this in many 
cases passes away, for some men are bravely consistent 



104 FLOWERS PROM A 

in their wickedness, and do not care to keep np the 
name to live when the life of God is not within their 
souls. 

Our main concern must be as to the root. The heart 
must be alive with gracious gratitude, or the leaf cannot 
long be green with living holiness. How is it with 
thee, my soul ? Is there root-life in thee ? Is Jesus 
precious ? Is the Father's name most swe*et ? Does 
the Holy Spirit move thee to ardent affection ? A chill 
love, whose very existence is questionable, means a 
miserable experience. He who doubts his own love to 
Jesus generally doubts Jesus' love to him. O love, be 
thou the living root in me, and, through thy quickening 
and nourishing energy, may the branches of my con- 
secrated life grow exceedingly ! 

ONE NAIL DEIVES OUT ANOTHER. 

" Men will not be frightened from self-love ; it must be another 
more powerful love which must draw them from it ; as one nail 
driveth out another. ' ' 

This is true philosophy. Love to God can alone expel 
the love of sin. Many forget this, and set to work ex- 
tracting the old love : a very tedious task ; ijnpossible, 
indeed, with such poor tools as we possess. They tor- 
ture the body and torment the mind, but the old nail of 
BcK-love is rusted in, and will not stir. They might 
sooner break up the fabric of their manhood than tear 
out its old deep-seated affections ; the self -nail has 
been driven well home, and clinched besides, and what 
can we do ? 

It is wonderful to see how love to Christ fetches out 
the love of self from its lodging. At the first it shakes 
and loosens it ; by and by it drives it a little from its 
place, and at last it drives it out altogether. Self is at 
first somewhat denied, then it is chastened and kept 



puritan's gardeit. 105 

Tinder, and finally it is crucified with Christ sa com- 
pletely that the man finds pleasure in warring against it, 
and glories in the submission of the flesh to suffering 
and loss. 

O blessed hand of Jesus, drive in the nail of divine 
love ! Smite hard, Lord. Force out the rusted iron of 
my selfishness. Let not a fragment of it remain. Love 
alone can vanquish love. Thyself alone can conquer 
self in me. No secondary force will suffice. My God, 
thou must display thy Godhead's power of love, or my 
vile heart will never part with self. 

THE PERFUMED GALE. 

" As the odors and sweet smell s of Arabia are carried by the winds 
and air into the neighboring provinces, so that before travellers come 
thither they have the scent of that aromatic country ; so the joys of 
heaven are by the sweet breathings and gales of the Holy Ghost blown 
into the hearts of believers, and the sweet smells of the upper para- 
dise are conveyed into the gardens of the churches. Those joys 
which are stirred up in us by the Spirit before we get to heaven are 
a pledge of what we may expect hereafter. 

Oh that we had more of these heavenly gales laden 
with the spices of Iinmanuel's land ! Gracious Lord, 
cause such a celestial wind to awake at this very hour ! 
I am already accepted in Christ Jesus, adopted, and 
beloved in him : this is a foretaste of heaven. In him 
I am secure, immortal, triumphant : these also are 
heavenly privileges. In Jesus I have peace, and rest, 
and profound confidence : is not this also something of 
paradise ? In my Lord I have fellowship with God, and 
exceeding joy in his love : surely the wind is blowing 
from the glory quarter, and has taken up much of the 
aroma of the beds of spices whereon the saints recHne. 
The Holy Ghost hath revealed unto us in our inward ex- 
perience much of the bliss which the Lord hath prepared 
for them that love him. The hfe of the believer on 



106 FLOWERS FROM A 

earth is the same as that which will be in him throiighont 
eternity, and the joy with w^hich the Lord favors him 
below is of the same nature as that which shall fill him 
forever. When Jesus reveals himself to my soul, the 
winds are blowing from heaven ; I can discern the 
fragrance. All around me delight is poured forth, and 
my heart is singing all the time. 

DREAMS, BUT NOT DREAMS. 
** Carnal men hear of the beauty of holiness, of the excellency of 
Christ, of the preciousness of the covenant, of the rich treasures of 
grace, as if they were in a dream. They look upon such things as 
mere fancies, like to foolish dreams of golden mountains, or showers 
of pearls." 

'^ This their way is their folly." When scientific 
men describe to us their curious experiments and singu- 
lar discoveries, we know them to be persons of credit, 
and therefore accept their testimony : why do not men 
of the world do us the like justice, and believe what we 
tell them ? We are as sane as they, and as observant of 
the law of truth ; why, then, do they not believe us 
when we declare what the Lord has done for our souls ? 
Why is our experience in the spiritual world to be 
treated as a fiction any more than their discoveries in 
chemistry or geography ? There is no justice in the 
treatment with which our witness is received. 

'Yet the Christian man need not complain, for in the 
nature of things he may expect it to be so, and the fact 
that it is so is a confirmation of his own beliefs. In a 
world of blind men, an elect race, to whom eyes had 
been given, would be sure to be regarded as either mad 
or false. How could the sightless majority be expected 
to accept the witness of the seeing few ? Would it not 
touch their dignity to admit that others possessed facul- 
ties of which they were destitute ? And would it not be 



puritan's GARDEiq-. 107 

highly probable that the blind would conspire to regard 
the men of eyes as fanatical dreamers or deluded fools ? 
Unrenewed men know not the things which are of the 
Spirit of God, and it is by no means a strange thing that 
they should deride what they cannot understand. It is 
sad that those who are dreamers in the worst sense 
should think others so, but it is by no means so ex- 
traordinary as to cause surprise. 

O my Lord, whatever others may think of me, let me 
be more and more sensible of thy presence, and of the 
glorious privileges and hopes which are created in the 
heart by thy grace ! If men should even say of me, as 
of Joseph, " Behold, this dreamer cometh," it will not 
grieve me so long as thou art with me, and thy favor 
makes me blest. 

AEROWS SHOT AT RANDOM. 

" Continued meditation brings great profit to the soul. Passant 
and transient thoughts are more pleasant, but not so profitable. 
Deliberate meditation is of most use because it secures the return of 
the thoughts. Sudden thoughts pass away from us, and, as a rule, 
they do not return to benefit us ; as children shoot away their arrows 
at rovers, and do not look after them ; or as a ball stricken in the 
open field goes out from us, whereas a baU struck against a waU doth 
return to our hand again." 

We need more meditation, more of this shooting of 
thought-arrows at a mark on which they will strike and 
stick, more of this throwing the thought-ball at the wall 
that we may catch it again. This would create for us a 
better style of teachers and preachers, and train a more 
solid race of Christian men and women. People do not 
think, and yet thinking is living, and one of the nearest 
approaches to death is to be without thought. Gentle 
reader, do you never think ? Are you too busy to 
meditate ? Is your time occupied from morning to 
night ? Then stay a moment while we whisper in your 



108 FLOWERS PROM A 

ear : if you are very busy, tliink and pray all tlie more, 
or your work will wear and weary you, and drag you 
away from God. For your work's sake, break away 
from it, and give the soul a breathing time. Get a holy 
subject and keep to it till you have drawn somewhat 
from it to feed your soul upon, and then you will do 
your lifework with less fatigue because you will have 
more strength to spend upon it. 

THE BURNING-GLASS. 

" When the beams of the sun are contracted by a burning-glass, 
upon one spot, then they cause fire ; so when our thoughts are con- 
centrated on one object they warm the heart and at last burn the 
truth into it.'* 

This is the reason why so many sermons and addresses 
are so cold and ineffective ; they are not sufiiciently 
f ocussed upon one point. There are many rays of light, 
but they are scattered. We get a Httle upon many 
things, while what is wanted is one great truth, and so 
much upon it as shall fix it on the heart, and set the 
soul blazing with it. This is the fault of many lives : 
they are squandered upon a dozen objects, whereas if 
they were economized for one, they w^ould be mighty 
lives, known in the present and honored in the future. 
'' This one thing I do" is a necessary motto if we are to 
accomplish anything. 

Our friend lay basking in the sunshine, and the beams 
of the sun did not disturb him for a moment. In a 
mirthful moment we crept to his side, and holding up a 
burning-glass, we formed a little bright spot on the back 
of his hand. He started in an instant as if touched with 
a hot iron, and was some little time before he quite 
appreciated our lecture upon concentrated energies. 
He did not invite a repetition of the interesting experi- 
ment, but confessed that he should throughout life 



puritan's GAllDEN". 109 

dread a man whose strength all converged to one point, 
and that when next he wished to arouse a careless mind, 
he would try what concentration would do. 

Great Lord, teach thou me how to accomphsh some- 
what for thy glory ; and, to that end, enable me to live 
for thee with my undivided being, that what little light 
and heat I have may be so focussed that I may burn my 
way to successful service. 

THE ALL-SUPPOETING NAIL. 

" The creatnres hang upon God as a garment upon a nail ; take 
away the nail and the garment falls down.'* 

The emblem is simple but accurate. All the weight 
falls upon the nail, and all the need of the creature's 
existence hangs upon the Omnipotent One. What 
power must he have from whom all power is derived ! 
All that we see around us of force and might is but God 
in action. There is no such deity as " Nature :" nature 
is the Lord at work. 

Do all things depend upon God ? Then the law of 
faith is, after all, no novelty, no intrusion, no exception 
to general rule. A sort of passive faith is the life of all 
created things. Dependence is the faith of irrational 
objects, and the believer's trust is this dependence 
gifted with eyes and will. It should then be an easy 
thing for my creature-life to hang upon its Creator. 
Had it not been for sin, faith would have been my very 
nature, dependence upon God a constitutent quality of 
my existence. Who, then; are they that laugh at faith ? 
Rationalists ? Nay ; irrational men, at war w^ith one of 
nature's first and most essential laws. Let them laugh 
on, for my heart is w^ell assured that confidence in God 
is the highest reason, and trust in my Maker the finest 
common-sense. 



110 FLOWERS FROM A 

O Lord ! I bless thee that the nail on which creation 
hangs can never fail, for thoa faintest not ; neither will 
my confidence be put to shame, for it hangs where hang 
the worlds. Till thou dost thyself cease from thine 
almightiness, my soul's hope is safe beyond question, 
for it rests only upon thee. 

THE WATCHMAKEK. 

" He that makes a watch, can mend it when it is broken and dis- 
arranged." 

So it is certain that the best physician for the body is 
the Maker of the human frame. This is too much 
forgotten, and faith is placed in men and medicines, and 
the great Lord is forgotten. We would not have men 
decline the aid of physic and surgery, but yet we count 
it a sort of idolatry to trust in these and make no appeal 
to the Lord himself. It is unwise to neglect the means, 
but be not so utterly foolish as to leave out of mind the 
First Cause and true Author of all good. It is best to 
trust in the Lord and use medicine too, but of the two 
evils — faith in God and no use of means, or u^e of 
means and no faith in God — we should certainly prefer 
the former. 

With regard to the soul, none can do anything to 
purpose in putting it into order save the Creator himself. 
All merely human attempts at the repair of the spiritual 
nature are a kind of tinkering which injures more than 
it benefits. The Lord can set mainspring, and balance- 
wheel, and lever, and hands in good working order. He 
can cleanse, repair, and 'regulate ; and what he does is 
done to purpose. We have known a child wash a 
watch till it was spoiled, and so may a reformer purge 
a man till he makes a hypocrite of him. An ingenious 
young man repaired a watch so that it would never go 



puritan's GARDEIT. Ill 

again ; and so may tlie superstitions impress men with 
foolish fancies till they lose all capacity for true religion. 
God himself must put his hand to the business, or it 
will be a total failure. 

Lord, with all my imperfections and irregularities, it 
gives me joy to know that I am in thy hands, and that 
thou wilt set me right. No case has ever baffled thee ; 
neither will mine. Thou wilt yet make me perfect in 
every good work to do thy will. 

THE DISH FOR ME. 

** As at a feast, \^hen there is a dish for which we have a great 
liking set upon the table, though all the company be welcome to 
partake of it, yet we say, ' Here is a dish for me. ' So should you 
apply and take to yourselves your own portion of the word. Though 
it be propounded generally, yet, when God directeth the tongue of 
his messengers to speak expressly to your case, you should say, 
* This is for me.' This is aU the calling by name which you can look 
for." 

How often has this been the case when reading the 
word of God, or hearing it ! We have felt an inward 
relish and delight in divine truth, and our spiritual in- 
stincts have taught us that it was intended for us. A 
man may be misled by his natural appetite, but the 
spiritual man's holy taste never deceives liim. If he 
can feed upon the word, this is clear evidence that it is 
'' food convenient for him," and that the Lord intends 
it for him. The Holy Ghost has said, '^ Eat ye that 
wliich is good, and let your soul delight itself in fat- 
ness," plainly indicating that the truth which gives 
delight to the renewed soul may be safely feasted on, 
and that we have full license to enjoy it without stint. . 

My heart, here is good news for thee ! Be not slow 
to avail thyself of the divine permit. At the feast of 
love, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and bless the Lord 
who satisfleth thy mouth with good things. 



112 FLOWERS FROM A 

A PRINCE IN A DITCH. 

** If you saw a man laboring in filthy ditches, and soiling himself 
as poor men do, would you believe that he was heir-apparent to a 
crown, called to inherit a kingdom ? Who will believe in your 
heavenly calling when you stick in the mud of worldly pleasures, 
and are carried away with carking care for secular interests?" 

Princes should behave as princes. Their haunts 
should be in palaces, and not amid dung-heaps. How, 
then, is it that some who profess and call themselves 
Christians are found raking in questionable amusements 
to discover pleasure, and many others groping amid 
sordid avarice to find satisfaction in wealth ? What are 
they at to be thus disgracing the blood royal ? How 
dare they drag the name of the ^^ Blessed and only 
Potentate' ' through the mire ? A prince of the blood 
acting as a beggar would dishonor not only himself but 
all the royal house. Nobility has obligations. Race, 
which is the eminent nobility of saints, lays them under 
heavy bonds to act as the true aristocracy of the uni- 
verse. Come, my soul, dost thou carry thyself royally ? 
I am made a king by Jesus Christ — are my bearing and 
conversation answerable to the dignity laid upon me ? 

Lord, thou must teach thy poor child. He has so 
long been a vagabond and an outcast that unless thou 
teach him the majestic manners of thy holy courts, he 
will dishonor both himself and thee. 

VICTIMS LED TO THE SLAUGHTEE. 

** Tho heathen were wont to hang garlands around the necks of 
the beasts which were about to be slain at the altar, and to crown 
them with roses as they led them to sacrifice." 

Many ai-e thus decked with the ornaments of wealth 
and mirth who are on the way to the slaughter. Un- 
godly men may be garlanded with social distinctions, 
scientific attainments, and courtly honors, and yet be no 



puritan's garden. 113 

better than bullocks devoted to the axe, at the altar of 
the god of this world. How little availed the roses to 
the creature doomed to die ! If men were wise they 
would regard with equal disesteem those earthly honors 
and possessions which do but deck out a condemned 
criminal, and adorn a wretch over whom the wrath of 
God is hovering. O silly men, to rejoice in the tokens 
of your destruction, and to glory in your shame ! 

Lord, it is better to bear thy cross, and march heaven- 
ward with the blessed burden, than to be smothered in 
flowery pleasures and to be led down to hell. I pray 
thee, bring my unregenerate neighbors to be of the same 
mind. 

THE GIDDY THINK THE EABTH MOVES. 
" The earth is never the* more unsettled because to giddy brains it 
seemeth to run round." 

Even so the salvation of the saints is sure, though to 
their trembling hearts it may seem to be in terrible 
jeopardy. A passenger on crossing the Channel is none 
the less in safety because he himself feels ready to give 
up the ghost with the nausea brought on by the rolling 
of the vessel. Our feehngs are poor judges of facts. 
Some who felt sure of heaven are now in hell, and others 
who had almost lost hope are now glorified in heaven. 
My brain may whirl and make me think all things are 
running round, and yet 1 know those very things to be 
steadfast as the hills, and therefore I do not believe my 
feelings, but trust the facts ; and so, when my poor silly 
heart imagines that the eternal promises will fail, I must 
chide its folly, and fall back upon the everlasting verities. 

Yes, Lord, thou art immovable and immutable ! This 
I know of a surety. Therefore give me grace never to 
doubt thee, or to distrust thy faithfulness to all those 
who put their trust in thee. 



114 FLOWERS PUOM A 

METEORS NOT STARS. 

'* Meteors are soon spent, and fall from heaven like lightning, 
"while stars keep their course and station. " 

When a meteor darts across tlie sky children say tliat 
a star has fallen, but it is not so. Look through the 
telescope, and you will find Jupiter, and Saturn, and 
Yenus, each one in its place, shining as usual ; yea, 
even the tiniest satellite is in its predestined sphere, 
fulfilling its times and seasons. So, too, w^e hear men 
say that a Christian has fallen from grace, a saint has 
"become an apostate. This also is an error. The saints 
are in their places still, for it is w^ritten, " the righteous 
shall hold on his way :' ' those who have fallen were 
meteors, not stars ; professors, but not genuine posses- 
sors of the heavenly light. The seven stars are in a 
hand out of which nothing falls : '^ all the saints are in 
thy hand." Jesus says, ^' he that believeth in me hath 
everlasting life," and therefore we are sure that they 
will not die. 

O my blessed Saviour; give me no temporary salva- 
tion ! Make me a star whose brightness shall never be 
quenched. To be enlightened for a time will not serve 
my turn ; grant me light which Satan cannot extinguish. 
Let me be ^^ saved in the Lord with an everlasting 
salvation. ' ' 

ALL BLOSSOMS DO NOT BECOME FEUIT. 

*' Plenty of blossoms do not always foretell great store of fruit." 

Few knit out of the many flowers which make promise 
of apples. It has ever been so, and he is an unwise 
man who dreams that his trees will be exempted from 
the universal law. The same rule holds good in all 
earthly matters. Out of many liopeful results which we 
look for from our plans and labors some must fail us. 



puritak's gardek. 115 

Because we make appointments for ourselves, and forget 
the appointments of God, we meet with many more 
disappointments than would otherwise fall to our lot. 
It is of no use reckoning that every egg in our basket 
will become a chicken, for it will not so happen, and 
our over-anticipation will be the cause of needless sorrow 
to us. Every prudent merchant reckons upon a certain 
amount of bad debt and loss in his trading, and when it 
comes he writes it off as a part of his estimated charges, 
and is not broken-hearted : our wisdom lies in doing the 
same with all earthly hopes, and even with the visible 
results of our service for the Lord. Whether this or 
that will prosper we must leave with the Master, it is 
ours to sow with unwearied hand both at morning and at 
night. 

THE LEAVEN IN THE BREAB. 
*' Jude saith we are * preserved in Christ Jesus.' There is a close 
union between Christ and ns : we are ' in him,' and because of this 
union we are eternally preserved. Look 1 As it is impossible to 
sever the leaven and the dough when they are once mingled and 
kneaded together ; so Christ and a believer, when they are united 
together, there is no parting them any more, and while one lasts the 
other must endure.' ' 

This is indeed the sure ground of the final preserva- 
tion of the saints : their union with their Lord is of an 
indissoluble nature, so that the apostle inquires, '^ Who 
shall separate us ?" It is as the union of the body with 
the head, which cannot be sundered without death to 
both. " Because I live ye shall live also" is our guran- 
tee of life eternal. What more do we require ? If 
Christ be in us, and we in him, the union is of the most 
intense kind, and the security which follows from it is 
of the most certain sort. ' ^ He that is joined to the 
Lord is one spirit;" what closer and more abiding 
union can be imagined ? 



116 FLOWERS FROM A 

Lord, let there be no doubt as to my union with thee. 
Cause my fellowship to be so constant and so sweet that 
the oneness of soul to thy sacred person may be most 
evident. So shall I be with thee here, and with thee 
where thou art for ever. 

A SAYING OF THE FATHEES. 

" I remember one of the fathers bringeth in the flesh, saying of 
believers, ^ JEgo deficiam, I wiU surely fail them and make the mis- 
carry ; and the world. Ego dedpiam, I wiU deceive them and entice 
them ; and Satan, M^o eripiam, I wiU snatch them and carry them 
away ; but God saith, Ego custodiam, I will keep them, I will never 
fail them nor forsake them.* Here lieth our safety and security." 

In other words, the flesh saith, '' I will deceive ;" 
the world, '' 1 will defile ;'' the devil, '' I will destroy ;" 
but the Lord saith, ^'1 y/ill defend;" and that one 
word of God takes the sting from all the rest. The 
flesh is as a drawn sword, the world as a sharp spear, and 
Satan as a poisoned arrow ; but the Lord God is a shield, 
and this baffles all. The flesh is much, the world is 
more, and Satan is most of all ; but God is all in all. 
The flesh must die, the world must pass away, Satan 
must be overthrown ; but the word of our God abideth 
forever ; and as the word of God is the life of the 
saints, they shall also abide world without end. What a 
rest this affords us when we are looking out of the 
windows of the future ! The Lord will be our succor in 
the days to come ! 

THE TIGHT-ROPE DANCER. 

*' They weaken Christian comfort who make believers walk with 
Christ like dancers upon a rope, every moment in fear of breaking 
their necks.*' 

Those who deny the doctrine of the final perseverance 
of the saints deserve this censure. We cannot tell 
whence these brethren derive their comfort. Our notion 



puritan's GARDEN". 117 

of trasting Christ includes in it a reliance upon him for 
tlie present and the future as well as for the sins of the 
past. It is to us the glory of the gospel that it gives us 
now, at this very moment, a j)resent and everlasting 
salvation. Once grasped in the hand of Jesus, what can 
pluck us thence or cause us to perish ? Tight-rope 
dancing suits not our poor head, we prefer to be/' safe 
in the arms of Jesus." 

My soul, let others say what they will, do thou accept 
thy Lord's word for it, and believe that he will keep the 
feet of his saints. A temporary, questionable salvation 
may suffice those who know not thy Lord ; but as for 
thee, do thou abide by his eternal, unchangeable love, 
and fear no final fall. 

OLIVIAN'S DYING SAYING. 

'^ Olivian, -when dying, comforted himself with that promise (Isa. 
54 : 10), ' The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; 
but my kindness shall not depart from thee. ' Being in the agonies 
of death, he said, ' Sight is gone, speech and hearing are departing, 
feeling is almost gone, but the lovingkindness of God will never 
depart. ' The Lord give us such a confidence in that day that we 
may die glorying in the preservation of our Eedeemer." 

To this end let us live in the like assurance. It is 
certain that God can never leave those who put their 
trust in him, and it becomes us to be certain of this 
certainty. The security of ' the saints is grounded, not 
upon their own faithfulness, but upon the faithfulness of 
him to whose keeping they have committed their souls. 
If the Lord can depart from his people they will assuredly 
depart from him and perish ; their comfort is that ho 
bas said in his covenant, '^ I will put my fear in their 
hearts, and they shall not depart from me," Our soul 
may live and die on this one sui'o promise. 



118 FLOWERS PROai A 

THE PLAISTEE AND THE HAND. 

** The gospel is a sovereign plaister, but Christ's own hand mnst 
make it stick.'* 

How true is this ! The woilnded heart cannot by its 
OAVii unaided power avail itself of the promise though it 
be evidently adapted to its need. Instead of grasping 
consolation, the soul refuses to be comforted. Nor can 
the most loving of ministers apply the balm ; awakened 
consciences are usually more cunning at putting from 
them the reasons for hope than we are in applying them. 
They think us flatterers when we bring them cheering 
news. It will even happen that when a gracious word 
seems to strike them and to stick upon their minds, they 
will with a cruel diligence and suicidal resolution tear it 
off lest it should work their cure. 

Abundant facts prove that according to our author's 
statement — 

***When wounded sore the stricken soul. 
Lies bleeding and unbound, 
One only hand, a pierced hand. 
Can salve the sinner's wound.*' 

Therefore, O Lord, doth my soul love thee because 
thou didst not only provide a salvation for me, but 
thou didst also apply it to me ; and at this hour thou 
dost not only lay up comfort in store for me, but tliou 
dost actually cheer and sustain my spirit. Thou art 
])oth Physician and physic. Comforter and comfort, yea, 
thou art all in all. 

BONES STKONGER FOU HAYING BEEN BROKEN. 
" Our reconciliation with God is like the soldering of a vessel, " 
which is henceforth strongest in the crack ; or as a leg broken, if 
well set, it is the stronger : so are we upon firmer terms than we 
were in innocency ; there was before the fall a possibility of being 
at odds with God, which is now taken away." 

This is a gracious fact. Under the covenant of works 



puritan's GARDEiq". 119 

it would liave been always possible for obedience to fail, 
and then the reward would have been forfeited ; bnt 
now, under the new covenant, our Lord Jesus has settled 
and fixed all that was contingent in it by perfecting his 
part of the agreement, and therefore all the rest stands 
sure, and all believers must receive covenanted mercies. 
Adam might have fallen, and we in him, even had he 
stood for a thousand years. The second Adam has 
ended his probation both for himself and all his seed, 
and now nothing can intervene to deprive his people of 
the earned and purchased inheritance. Innocence seemed 
sure, but perfection is surer. It is something not to. 
have broken the law ; it is far more to have fulfilled it 
and honored it, so as to be able to say as our Lord has 
said, '' I have finished the work which thou gavest me 
to do." 

Fitly and justly did Watts say : 

*' He raised me from the deeps of sin, 
The gates of gaping heU, 
And fix' d my standing more secure 
Than 'twas before I feU." 

My soul, be thou doubly dih'gent to magnify thy 
Saviour's name. If the bones which God has broken 
shall rejoice, much more the bones which he has set. If 
he rejoices more over the lost sheep which he has found 
than over that which never went astray, count thyself 
the happiest and most indebted of beings to be thus 
prized by thy gracious God. 

DIETY COENEKS. 
*' Sluttish corners are not seen in the dark. Things are naught 
that cannot brook an open investigation." 

Lord, let me have a religion which will bear the light 
of day, the light of self-examination, the light of the 
throne of judgment. If I hide my sin, how can I 



120 FLOWERS PROM A 

prosper ? If 1 cannot bear to be judged of men, how 
sliall I endure to be judged at tliy appearing ? 

THE CLUCKING HEN. 
" As a hen when she hath found a worm, or a barleycorn, clucks 
for her chickens, that they may come and partake of it with her ; so 
a man acquainted with Christ, who hath tasted that the Lord is 
gracious, he cannot hold, he will be calling upon his friends and 
relations to come and share with him of the same grace." 

It is SO much an instinct with real Christians to do 
this, that those who do not so may well question their 
own sincerity. Common humanity leads a man to in- 
form his fellow of that which will benefit him, and how 
can he be a gracious man who is not even commonly 
humane ? In certain crafts and trades there are selfish 
reasons for keeping their knowledge a secret, but noth- 
ing of this kind can appertain to the profession of godli- 
ness. Having found this honey, so abundant and so 
free to all comers, nature itself bids us call our brethren 
to see our treasure, and urge them to partake in its 
sweetness. 

Hasten, reader, to call in thy friends and neighbors to 

rejoice with thee if thou hast indeed found the Lord 

Jesus. 

THE ECHO. 

" We love him because he first loved us. Love is like an echo, it 
returneth what it receiveth : there is no echo till the sound is heard. 
Our love to God is a reflex, a reverberation, or a casting back of 
God's beam and flame upon himself. The cold wall sendeth back 
no reflex of heat till the sun shines upon it, and warms it first ; so 
neither do we love God till our soul is first filled with a sense of his 
love." 

Hence the impossibility of producing love while we 
are under a legal spirit ; it will not come to order, it 
will only rise to the bidding of its like. Love alone 
begets love. Purchase price for it there is none ; the 
bribe would be scorned. 



PURITAX'S GARDEN". 121 

Love is not the result of effort on onr part. As the 
fountain rises freely in the valley, pouring forth its 
crystal flood with spontaneous eagerness, so doth love 
sparkle and flash forth in the soul. Secret reservoirs, 
far up in the mountains, supply the water-springs ; and 
eternal deeps of boundless love in the everlasting hills 
supply the love-springs of the believer's soul. Is it not 
written, '' All my fresh springs are in thee ?" 

O my heart, take care that thou answer to the Lord 
like an echo ! When he saith, ^^My love," do thou 
answer with the selfsame title. Be as the rocks which 
glow beneath the heat of the sun, and give forth warmth 
themselves. Love as long as thou livest, for love is the 
cream of life, and all of it is due to thy Lord. 

COURTIEES* PRIVILEGES. 
** It would be a great favor if a king shonld give leave to one of his 
meanest subjects to have the key of his privy chamber, to come to 
him and visit him, and be familiar with him when he pleaseth. 
How would such a favor be talked of in the world !' ' 

Yet this is but a faint image of what the believer is 
admitted to. He may come not merely to the palace of 
mercy, and the throne of grace, but to the very heart 
of God. Confidences such as ours surpass all the 
familiarities of friendship, and yet they are permitted, 
nay commanded, between the All-glorious Lord and our 
poor sinful selves. We may well copy the example of 
David when he went in and sat before the Lord, and 
said, " Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house ? 
And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?" The 
intimate intercourse between the glorious sovereign of 
the Canticles and his sunburnt bride is an inspired 
symbol of the near and dear communion between Christ 
and his people. What can be more honoring to the 
soul, and what can more wonderfully prove the bound- 



122 FLOWERS FROM A 

less condescension of the Lord ? He stoops like a God ! 
There is as mnch of Deity in the favor which he dis- 
plays to the undeserving as in the matchless splendors 
of his celestial conrts. Happy are the people who have 
such a God ; shall tlxej not accept with rapture the 
goodness which he sets before them so benignly ? 

O my most tender God and Father, I can never fully 
estimate the stoop of thy majesty in deigning to love 
me, nor the greatness of thy generosity in inviting me 
to have fellowship with thee. Give me, I pray thee, 
grace to value such priceless goodness, and every day to 
live in habitual fellowship with thee. Since thou makest 
me free of thy courts, teach me how to be a resident 
courtier, going no more out forever. 

WATEE POUBED INTO A PUMP. 
** Love must be paid in kind. As water is cast into a pump, when 
the springs lie low, to bring up more water, so God sbeddeth abroad 
his love into our hearts, that our love may rise up to him again by 
way of gratitude and recompense." 

How idle is it, then, to hope to chide ourselves into 
loving God ! The price of love is love ; the origin of 
it is not found in law or in a sense of duty, but in love, 
or a return of gratitude. When the sun of eternal love 
melts the glaciers of the soul, then the rivers of affection 
flow ; but if the rocks of ice could all be broken to 
shivers with hammers, not a drop of affection would 
stream forth. Only a sense of divine love will ever 
create love to God in the heart. 

How vain also is the attempt to recompense the mercy 
of God by mechanical acts of religion or works of legal 
service! ''Love must be paid in kind." No other 
coin is current in love's empire but that which bears her 
own image and superscription. Do what we ^ill, even 
to martyrdom, if we have not love, it profiteth us noth- 



puritak's gardek. 123 

ing. In this case it is specially true, ^^ If a man sliould 
give all tlie substance of his house for love, it would 
utterly be contemned." 

Come, my heart, does thy love run dry ? Then pray 
the Holy Ghost to shed abroad the love of God within 
thee. Pour this living water into thy dry pump, and 
thou wilt soon pour forth a plentiful stream. 

THE FELLOW-COUNTKYMAN. 

" A man who is traveUing in foreign lands is glad to meet with his 
own countrymen." 

This we know by experience. Sweet is the music of 
the English tongue when heard amid the clatter of 
foreign speech. We feel our heart warmed at the sight 
of a costume which we can recognize as covering a true 
Briton. Such are the feelings of a Christian when he 
falls in with a true believer, and by his speech and 
conduct knows him to be a citizen of heaven. He 
detects him at once as being, hke himself, " a stranger 
in the land ;" he seeks him out and cultivates his com- 
pany, and in that company he finds a solace for his 
loneliness among the aliens around him. Those who 
dwell in warm-hearted churches, surrounded by Christian 
society, little know the value of a single godly friend to 
those who dwell among worldlings. To such, a man of 
God is more precious than the gold of Ophir. Think 
for a moment : if you had been condemned to dwell in 
a lions' den, what a relief it would have been to find a 
Daniel sitting among the ferocious creatures ! Such is 
the consolation which a single holy companion may yield 
to a lonely soul compelled to sojourn among those who 
know not God. 

Lord, make me one whom thy saints may be glad to 
meet ; and, on the other hand, when I pine because I 



124 FLOWERS FROM A 

am exiled from my heavenly home, permit me to hear 
the voice of a fellow-countryman^ that I may be of good 
cheer. 

WAITING FOE THE KEY OF THE HOUSE. 

*' He that made the sonl hath most right to dwell in it ; it is a 
most curious house, of God's own framing, and there ought he to 
well. But he will not enter by force and violence, but by consent ; 
he expecteth love to give up the keys (Kev. 3 : 20) — ^ Behold, I 
stand at the door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open 
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him.* Why 
should Christ stand at the door and knock, and ask leave to enter 
into his own house ? He hath right enough to enter, only he waiteth 
till we open to him." 

Here our author admirably expresses the Lord's 
respect to the nature and constitution which he has 
impressed upon man. Inanimate matter obeys tlie 
divine law by force, but a human being can only obey 
God with his will^ since unwilling obedience would bo 
no obedience at all. There can be no such thing as 
umvilling love, unwilling trust, or unwilling holiness. 
Yoluntariness enters into the essence of a moral act. 
Having, therefore, so fashioned man, the Lord doth not 
forget this fact, but ever treats man as a free agent. 
The divine compulsions of his grace are only such as are 
congruous wntli a willing and nilling creature. Man is 
sweetly led to repentance and faitli, and by mighty 
arguments drawn to trust and love the Lord Jesus. We 
do not surrender our hearts to Jesus otherwise than with 
our own full and free consent. We are riglit glad to 
become his disciples, and to be taught the way of service. 
He does not break in like a burglar, but he enters the 
castle of the soul like a conqueror to whom the governor 
in all lowliness hands the keys. 

My heart, it is hard for a theologian to explain how 
grace overcomes the will, and yet never violates it, and 



puritan's garden. 125 

yet tlioii dost understand it perfectly by experience. 
Christ's love wooed thee and won thee, and led thee 
captive^ and yet never was a will more free than thine 
when thou vv^ast altogether bound to thy Beloved. 

THE PKINCELY SUBSTITUTE. 

'* If a prince, passing by an execution, should take the malefactor's 
chains, and suffer in his stead, this would be a wonderful instance 
indeed.** 

The deed would ring through all history, and be 
quoted as an amazing instance of heroic pity ; and well 
deserved would be all the words of praise and sonnets of 
admiration which would record and eulogize it. Yet 
our Lord Jesus did this and infinitely more for those 
who were not merely malefactors, but enemies to his 
own throne and person. This is a wonder of wonders ! 
But, alas, it meets with small praise. The most of men 
around us have heard of it and treated it as an idle tale, 
and multitudes more regard it as a pious legend, worthy 
to be repeated as a venerable fable, and then forgotten 
as an unpractical myth. Even those who know, be- 
lieve, and admire, are yet cold in their emotions with 
regard to the story of the cross. Herein is love which 
ought to set our hearts on fire, and yet we scarcely 
maintain a smouldering spark of enthusiasm. Lord 
Jesus, be more real to our apprehensions, and so be 
more completely the Master of our affections. 

TRYING THE KEYS. 

'' As one that would gladly open a door, trieth key after key till he 
hath tried every key in the bunch, so doth God try one method after 
another to work upon man's heart." 

His persevering grace will not be baffled. He fre- 
quently begins with the silver key of a mother's tearful 
prayers and a father's tender counsels. In turn, he uses 



126 FLOWERS FROM A 

the church-keys of his ordinances and his ministers, and 
these are often found to move the bolt ; but if they fail, 
he thrusts in the iron key of trouble and affliction which 
has been known to succeed after all others have failed. 
He has, however, a golden master-key, which excels all 
others : it is the operation of his own most gracioas 
Spirit by which entrance is effected into hearts w^hich 
seemed shut up forever. 

Wonderful is the patience and long-suffering of the 
Lord, or he would long since have left hardened and 
careless sinners to themselves. He is importunate, 
whether we are so or not. We take pains to resist 
his heavenly grace, but he abideth faithful to his own 
name of love. 

O Lord, we bless thee that thou hast opened our 
hearts, and w^e pray thee now that thou hast entered, 
abide in our souls forever, as a king in his own palace- 
halls ! 

LIFE PROVED BY GEOWTH. 

'* Wiiere there is life tliere will be growth, and if grace be true, it 
will surely increase. A painted flower keepeth always at the same 
pitch and stature ; the artist may bestow beauty upon it, but he 
cannot bestow life. A painted child will be as little ten years hence 
as it is now." 

What need there is to observe the wide distinction 
between the picture and the living thing ! Of painted 
likenesses of Christians we have more than enough ; nor 
is the manufacture of portraits a difficult operation : 
what we want is the real thing and not the artistic imita- 
tion. Manton saitli w^ell that growth is the test. Many 
professors must be forever beginning again : they stick 
where they were, or thought tliey were. They were 
anxious about their souls, and are so still. They were 
trying and wishing, and with tries and wishes they are 
resting contented. If they were saved and knew it, 



puritan's garden. 127 

tliey would find themselves making some measure of 
advance : not always advancing at the same rate, for all 
life is not equally rapid in its growth, but still progress- 
ing somewhat, forgetting the things behind, and reach- 
ing forth to that wdiich is beyond. 

Reader, how do you stand under this test ? Come, 
search yourself, and see whether you are adding to your 
faith, courage ; and to courage, brotherly kindness ; 
and to brotherly kindness, love. If there be no growth, 
it may be, nay, surely it must be, that you are not a 
child born into the family of God, but a pretty picture, 
which may adorn a room, but which cannot perform any 
of the actions of life. It is a sad thing if such be your 
case, for heaven is not a portrait-gallery ; it is the home 
of loving, living souls, whom grace has quickened with 
eternal life. 

THE OPENED TKEASUEY AND THE BAGS. 

** If a mighty king should open his treasure, and bid men come 
and bring their bags, and take as much as they would ; do you think 
they would neglect this occasion of gain ? Surely no ; they would 
run and fetch bag after bag, and never cease. Thus doth the Lord 
act toward us in the covenant of grace." 

He makes ov^er all its fulness to his people, and saith, 
" All are yours." We are not straitened in him. The 
bags will come to an end long before the treasure is 
exhausted. Let us come, then, to the throne of grace 
w^itli enlarged desires and widened expectations : the 
Lord does not stint us, why should we put ourselves 
upon short commons ? " lie saith, eat and drink, yea, 
drink abundantly, O beloved." Why, then, do we sit 
at the table and starve, or rise from it hmigry ? Let us 
by faith suck of the abundance of the sea of grace, and 
partake largely of the hid treasure wliich the Lord has 
laid np for us. 



128 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE PHYSICIAN IN THE GAKDEN. 

'* Plutarch, in his treatise on growth in moral virtue, wherein are 
manj^ things applicable to growth in grace, saith that a man that 
hath made some progress in virtue is like a physician, who, when he 
comes into a garden, doth not consider flowers for their beauty, as 
gallants do, but for their use and virtue in medicine. So the grown 
believer doth not consider speech for its fineness, but fitness and 
seasonableness for present use." 

The same lioldeth good also concerning growth in 
grace ; the more we grow the more we regard the 
spiritual part of the word, and such Scriptures and 
truths as are of practical use and personal concern. 
Hence it is that experienced believers cannot put up 
with the mere ornaments of speech which yield so much 
satisfaction to youthful minds. They want solid, prac- 
tical, gospel doctrine, and they must have it. Their 
craving is for herbs for their healing, and not for bou- 
quets for their button-hole. My heart, go thou with 
the wise men, and learn from them what is the way of 
wisdom. 

BARKING DOGS CATCH NO GAME. 

*' Hard speeches have an evil influence in controversy, and do 
exasperate rather than convince. The dog that followeth the game 
with barking and bawling loseth the prey ; and there is not a more 
likely way to undermine the truth than an unseemly defence of it. 
Satan is mightily gratified, if men had eyes to see it, with the ill 
managing of God's cause." 

This lesson is a needful one. Zealots are apt to mis- 
take hard words for arguments. The more in earnest 
we are, the more are we tempted to speak bitterly, and 
to overlook the better side of our opponent's cause. 
Many who think with us applaud us most for those very 
utterances which deserve the censure of the wise ; and 
this foohsh commendation is apt to egg us on in the 
same unprofitable direction. They would be more 
judicious if, while approving our zeal, they hinted that 



puritan's garde]s\ 129 

we might use a sweeter method and be none the less 
strong. 

We hoj)e as we grow older to be able to hunt more 
quietly, with surer scent but with less barking. Cer- 
tainly as we grow in grace we shall more cai-efully 
distinguish between holy ardor which is kindled by the 
Spirit, and carnal heat, v/hich is the wild-fire of unre- 
newed nature. God grant that as we grow prudent we 
may not also become lukewarm ; else we may gain one 
Nvay and lose another. "We are poor creatures, for when 
we try to avoid an evil we generally swing like a pen- 
dulum to the opposite quarter, and commit another 
folly. The middle point, the golden mean of virtue, 
we do not readily reach. 

TAKEK IN THE BEIEES. 

*' Most that are acquainted with God are taken in the briers. 
Jesus Christ in the days of his flesh had never heard of many, if 
their necessities had not brought them to him/' 

Free grace is a harbor into which few ships ever run 
except through stress of weather. '' Then they cry unto 
the Lord in their trouble :" that is to say, when they 
are well-nigh wrecked and are altogether at their wits' 
end. Till the end of the creature is reached, men will 
not seek to their Creator, even as the prodigal never 
thought of home till he had spent all, and there was a 
mighty famine in the land. Our author refers to 
Manasseh who was taken among the thorns, and surely 
he was an instructive type of the great majority of those 
who are saved from sin. 

Lord, be pleased of thy great mercy to overrule the 
vast amount of poverty and suffering which is now in 
this land, that men may be driven to thee thereby. Let 
thy black dogs fetch home thy wandering sheep. Let 
thy fierce, breaking tempests compel full many a wanton 



130 FLOWERS FROM A 

voyager to reef the sails of pleasurable sin, and steer for 
the haven of forgiving love. 

CHESSBOARD. 

*'Be watchfnl ; the "world is the devil's chessboard; you can 
hardl}^ move backward or forvrard, but he is ready to attack you by 
some temptation." 

Those who play at the game of chess know that great 
circumspection is needed. Your opponent is working 
toward a design of which yon know nothing, and while 
yon imagine that yon are doing exceedingly well he is 
entrapping you. The game of life, as against Satan, is 
one in which his age, his long practice, his superior skilly 
and his unscrupulousness give him an immense advantage 
over our poor self-conceited folly. Lord, help us, lest 
we lose our souls while we are dreaming of happiness. 
Thou knowest our adversary, be pleased to deliver us 
out of his hand. 

THE DUMB BEGGAR. 

" A dumb beggar gets an alms at Christ's gate if he can but make 
signs, when his tongue cannot plead for him." 

This is a cheering sentence for the many poor souls 
who feel that they cannot find words wherewith to pray. 
Sit down at mercy's gate, and show your sores, and 
groan, and sigh. Let your rags ask for raiment, and 
your hunger plead for bread. Wounds are eloquent 
orators with a tender-hearted surgeon ; expose your 
wounds to Jesus, and he will bind them up. Misery is 
mercy's best constraint. When the psalmist could not 
pray a set prayer, he says, '' I opened my mouth and 
panted." He declares in another place that he panted 
like a thirsty hart : there is nothing articulate in pant- 
ing, and yet no one ever misunderstood the meaning of 
the act. Come, then, ye dumb beggars, and learn the 
language of signs. Come and pant, come and spread 



puritan's GARDEN". 131 

your misery before the eyes of mercy, and doubt not 
that he who knows the thoughts of the heart will readily 
understand you and speedily grant your desires. 

CALVIN AND HIS LOKD. 

'' * What if my master should come and find me idle ?' said Calvin 
to his friends, who demanded of him why he wasted his body in 
such constant labors. Few are like-minded so as to put this question 
to their souls, * Am I as I would wish to be should Christ come ? ' " 

This question may serve as a test as to our manner of 
life : Am 1 in such a state as I would wish to be in 
should my Lord appear ? If we can answer this to our 
comfort, all is well ; but if not, by all means let us 
mend matters, get out of our deshabille and stand ready 
to meet our coming Lord. Bravely did Calvin fight on 
under a heap of disorders, and if we would be approved 
at the last we must imitate him in a constant diligence, 
born of ^^seeing him who is invisible." 

Lord, make me to hear thy footfall evermore, and 
cause me so to live as though I heard thee at the door. 

INVENTION OF FRESH WEAPONS. 

•^ As in war, as the arts of battery and methods of destruction do 
increase, so also doth skill in fortification ; so in the Church, God 
still bestoweth gifts for the further explication of truth." 

We are glad to see our author writing so cheerily, for 
at this present it seems to us that our adversaries have 
been far more acute in assailing the gospel than the 
Church in defending it. Still on God's side it is true 
that though his ministers may not be as faithful as they 
should be, yet he raises up one and another to stand as 
bulwarks for the truth, and so, after all, the grand old 
cause is not quite overborne. To the end of the cam- 
paign it will be so, and there is no real cause for despair, 
or even for despondency. The fortress of the gospel is 
still unconquered. Her motto is invicta. The gospel 



132 FLOWERS FROM A 

has survived the brutal ignorance of many ages, and if 
now the world Las changed its fashions and professes 
itself to be wise, the same eternal system of truth will 
continue to baffle its designs. The assaults of sceptics 
are a gain to believers, for they produce a clearing and 
opening up of the truth. Opposition directs attention 
to neglected doctrines, and heresy calls for orthodox 
replies, and so our defences become stronger as our 
enemies become more furious. Happy citizens, to be 
thus shielded from the foe. 

HO]MEWARD BOUND. 

" A poor beast that is going homeward goeth cheerfuUy.*' 
See how the horse pricks up his ears and quickens his 
pace when you turn his head to his stable. The proverb 
saith that even the dull ass doth the same. Much more 
then should intelligent Christian men feel the attrac- 
tions of their heavenly home. Courage, brothers and 
sisters ; we, too, are homeward bound. Every hour 
brings us nearer to the many mansions. We are not 
going froin home, or we might hang our heads : our 
way is toward the Father' s house on high, therefore let 
us rejoice at every step we take. 

MAETHA CO]\IPLAINING OF IVLiRY. 

** St. Bernard hath a pretty note of Martha's complaining of Mary, 
that she sat at Jesus' feet, while herself was employed in all the 
business of the family. *0h,' saith St. Bernard, Hhat is a happy 
family where Martha complains of Mary 1 ' Oh, how few families do 
thus complain ! The world eats up our time, our care, and our 
thoughts, and God hath but a little share, little worship, little 
reverence." 

For the most part in our households Mary might well 
complain of Martha, for family cares still cumber many 
and keep them away from Jesus' feet. Yery seldom 
are Christians nowadays too much in the closet, too 



puritan's GARDEN". 133 

much with their Bibles, too ranch at prayer-meetings. 
Alas, the most of them are all hack for the world, the 
shop, or the evening party. Martha, Martha, we may 
well complain to the Master of thee, for thou leavest 
him alone, and forsakest his teaching, and all for this 
, poor, cumbering world ! 

Lord, help us to balance our duties, and thus may we 
serve thee after the best manner, through thy grace. 

THE C0:VIET AND THE SUN. 
** We gaze more on a comet than on the snn." 

This is the reason why erratic teachers are for a while 
popular, and attract public attention. It is given out 
that they are ''some great one," and all the town is 
staring with open mouth. The nine days' wonder is 
every day's talk. The new teaching is something mar- 
vellous, and the old creed is to be driven out of the 
land. New lights are to eclipse the old ; at least, so we 
are told. Let us wait a while, however, and the comet 
will have vanished, and the half- forgotten fixed stars will 
be seen to be shining on with unfading splendor. 

May the Lord give us such fixed and established judg- 
ments that no novelties of doctrine may ever dazzle us. 
Children are fond of new^ toys ; let us be men and keep 
to the tried word of the Lord. 

VIOLET AND NETTLE. 

" Laden boughs hang low. The nettle mounteth above its fellow 
vreeds, but the violet lieth shrouded under its leaves, and is only 
found out by its own scent. ' ' 

Walking one day by a stream we were conscious of a 
delicious perfume, and only then did we perceive the 
little blue eyes which were looking up to us so meekly 
from the ground on which we stood. Virtue is always 
modest, and modesty is itself a virtue. He who is dis- 



134 PLOWERS FROM A 

covered by his real excellence, and not by his egotistical 
advertisement of his own perfections, is a man worth 
knowing : the other is a mere nettle who is sure to be 
forgotten, unless indeed his blustering pride should sting 
some tender spirit, and secure a wretched kind of re- 
membrance. 

that I may ever be more gracious than I seem to 
be. Never may it be any concern of mine to be ob- 
served of men, and yet let me so live that 1 need not 
fear to be read and known of all. 

THE SWOLLEN AKM. 

** Certainly a prond spirit is no great spirit, any more than a 
swollen arm can be accounted to be strong." 

Many mistakes are made on this matter both as to men 
and language. Boasters are by foolish persons reckoned 
at their declared value : no mistake can be greater ; a 
proud spirit is of necessity small and mean in the judg- 
ment of truth. Language is thouglit to be forcible 
because it is hard, severe, and blustering ; and yet there 
is little power in such speaking except to provoke 
opposition and furnish motives and weapons for the 
opposer. Judge, then, between swelling and strength : 
avoid the one and prudently aim at the other. True 
humility is beloved of God, and he ever comes to its aid. 

1 must be less and less in my own esteem if I would 
have power with God and prevalence with men. It 
seemeth not so, and yet so it is. Lord, write the lesson 
on my heart. 

ONLY A LINK. 
** The first appearances of error are many times modest. There is 
a chain of truths ; the devil taketh out a link here and a link there, 
that all may fall to pieces.'" 

The argument of '^charity" is used to screen those 
who are robbing us of the gospel. We are bidden to be 



puiutan's garden. 135 

cautions liow we condemn those who only differ on small 
points ; whereas the truths which they would take away 
from us have important bearings upon other truths, and 
cannot be denied without a serious break-up of the 
whole doctrinal chain. Let us not give up a single link 
of the divine system, for if we did so, we should prove 
traitors to the whole plan of revealed truth. 

In these times the illustration given above is exceed- 
ingly instructive. Satan knows that we would never 
consent to give up a wheel of the gospel chariot, and 
therefore in his craftiness he only asks for the linch-pins 
to be handed over to him. May God grant wisdom to 
his servants that none of them may be beguiled by the 
cunning of the adversary. Long ages may have to rue 
the defalcations of this day, if we sell the precious gospel 
to its foes. Until the Lord shall come we are put in 
trust with the gospel : will we be fraudulent trustees ? 
Can we dare to play fast and loose with that which 
concerns God's glory, and the destiny of immortal 
souls ? 

THE LUNGS, 
" Some graces, like the Inngs, are always in use." 
'* Pray without ceasing ;" ''be thou in the fear of the 
Lord all the day long;" and such like exhortations 
appertain to continuous duties. Thus David says, " I 
have set the Lord always before me ;" he was always 
living in the presence of God. Other parts of the 
human frame are exercised occasionally, but the lungs 
are always at work, and, even so, certain of the graces 
are in active motion in their appointed seasons, but faith 
never ceases to believe in the Lord Jesus, for it is essen- 
tial to spiritual vitality. Hence we ought never to go 
where we shall be out of the atmosphere of heaven. 
Lungs must have air, and cannot endure a dense smoke 



136 FLOWERS FllOM A 

or a poisonous gas ; nor can faith bear error, false doc- 
trine, and evil conversation. Since we always need the 
pure air of heaven, let ns not go where it cannot be 
found. Who in his senses would desire to have been in 
the Black Hole of Calcutta ? Who wishes to dwell 
where drunkenness and loose living abound ? How can 
faith breathe in such a suffocating atmosphere ? 

Lord, keep thou my faith alive, that it may keep me 
alive, and that I may live to thee. 

FEUIT WITHOUT THE SUN. 
*' Fruit that liath but little sun can never be ripe." 

We have had practical proof of this, for during the 
year 1879, there being a scant measure of sunshine, the 
fruit was never properly ripened, and was therefore 
destitute of flavor and sweetness. Whatever might be 
its outward appearance, the berry was insipid and al- 
together unlike what the sun would have made it had he 
smiled upon the swelling fruit. 

Thus, without communion with God, no soul can 
develop its graces, neither can those graces become what 
they should be. JSTo measure of care or effort can make 
up for the light of the Father's face ; neither can 
attendance upon means of grace nor the use of religious 
exercises supply the lack. Fellov/ship with God we 
must have, or the essential honey of love will be de- 
ficient, the bloom of joy will be wanting, the aroma of ■ 
zeal and earnestness will be missed. We may have the 
virtues by name, and we may exhibit som_e feeble, insipid 
imitation of them, but the secret savor and mystic 
richness of grace v/ill not be in us unless we abide in 
the full light of divine love. 

Lord, evermore be as the sun unto our souls, that we 
may be as fruit fully ripe, attaining to all the jjerfec- 
tion and maturity of v/hicli our nature is capable. 



puritan's garde]^. 137 

FIEE ! FIRE ! 
" When a fire is kindled in a city we do not say coldly, ' Yonder 
is a great fire, I pray God it do no harm.' In times of public defec- 
tion we are not to read tame lectures of contemplative divinity, or 
fight with ghosts and antiquated errors, but to oppose with all 
earnestness the growing evils of the world, whatever it may cost us." 

If men valued tratli as they do tlieir goods and their 
houses, they would not regard error with such cool con- 
tentment. The cant of the present day cries, " Charity, 
charity." As if it were not the truest charity to grow 
indignant with that which ruins souls. It is not un- 
charitable to warn men against poisonous adulterations 
of their food, or invasions of tlieir rights ; and surely it 
cannot be more uncharitable to put them upon their 
guard against that which will poison or rob their souls. 
Lukewarmness of love to truth is the real evil to be de- 
precated in these times. We have new doctrines among 
us, full of practical mischief, and against these there is 
need to raise an earnest outcry, lest they gain so great a 
head that both church and state should be set on fire. 

Lord, arouse thy watchmen, and bid them arouse all 
thy saints, for the times are full of danger. 

THE GLASS WITHOUT A FOOT. 
"We derive aU our strength from Christ. We are like glasses 
without feet ; they cannot stand of themselves ; neither can we." 

Such glasses are not ordinarily used now, but they 
were common enough in former times. A man must 
hold the glass in his hand, or it would be of no use to 
him, for he could not set it down on the table, since it 
could not stand alone, but rolled over, and spilt its 
contents. We are something in the hand of Jesus, but 
nothing out of it ; we cannot even hold the water of 
life unless our Lord holds us. What poor creatures men 
are, and yet they dare to boast ! 



138 FLOWEUS FKOM A 

THE STONE AND THE CHIP. 

" A great deal of fire falleth "upon a stone and it burnetii not, but 
a dry chijD soon taketh fire." 

According to our condition we are affected by the fire 
of the gospel. Hearts of stone are not kindled by the 
most vehement preaching of the word, nor will they 
ever be till grace works a change in their nature. The 
same sermons which are powerless with them are, 
througii divine grace, most potent with souls prepared 
of the Lord to feel the flame. The failures of minis- 
ters are often traceable to tlie sinful state of their hearers 
— what is a man to do who labors to kindle a fire with 
stones ? Must he not labor in vain ? He may blow as 
long as he pleases, and burn his heart out with fervor, 
and yet his hearers' hearts will not catch the flame ; and 
he may even die in very anguish ; but so long as the 
natural mind remains what it is he cannot effect his 
])urpose. 

Lord, I thank thee not only for the heavenly fire, but 
for the power to be affected by it. It is thy grace which 
makes me capable of grace, and unto thee be all the 
praise. 

THE ANT-HILL. 
*' The world is a great theatre, and the spectators are God and 
angels. I confess we little think of it ; there is a foolish levity in 
our minds. As to us, the world is like a hill of ants ; you stand by, 
and they run up and down, and do not think of your being there ; 
so the Lord stands by and observes all our motions, and we run up 
and down like busy ants, and do not think of God's presence among 
us. We live in a great hurry and clatter of business, and have but 
few thoughts of God. The Psalmist gives a description of carnal 
men in these words (Ps. 86 : 14), ' They have not set thee before 
them.'" 

Lord, let me not be a mere ant on the world's hill ; 
but as thou hast given me an understanding, help me to 
use it upon thyself, that so I may rise to the true level 



puritan's garden. 139 

of an intelligent and immortal being. How can I dis- 
regard my God, my Father, my all ? How can I be 
taken up with these trifles whilst thou art so near me, 
asking my love, and proving thy right to it by daily 
loading me with benefits ? What a mere insect I am ! 
Why am I thus ? Why should I live hke an emmet 
when thou hast made me a little lower than an angel ? 
I shall never rise to what I ought to be unless thou 
reveal thyself in me and to me by thy good Spirit. 
Deliver me from that foolish levity of which thy servant 
speaks, which makes me fill my mind with contemptible 
vanities, and let me seriously remember thee, and the 
day when 1 shall stand before thy judgment-seat. 

WANDERING SHEEP NEED GENTLE HANDLING. 

** Though swine or dogs be driven with violence, yet poor stray 
lambs must be brought home, as the shepherd brought home his lost 
sheep * upon his shoulders rejoicing,' Luke 15. Many well-meaning 
men may err ; be not too severe with them, lest prejudice make them 
obstinate, and so from ' erring brethren,' they become heretical." 

Sound advice this. It is true that certain troublesome 
heretics need to be rebuked sliarply that they may be 
sound in the faith, but discretion is needed, and a loving 
spirit to guide the discretion : the sheep must not be 
driven as if they were swine. The tendency of stern 
orthodoxy is to act toward an erring one as cruel fathers 
do when they whip their boys without mercy, for they 
drive ten devils in while they think they are whipping 
one out. A doubter m^ay be worried into a heretic 
before we are aware of it. Certain minds will learn 
anything from those they love, and nothing from those 
who are masterful with them. The gentleness of Christ 
is a choice qualification for a pastor. Heresies are better 
kept out by a full gospel than driven out by fierce con- 
troversy. Sheep may be worried into worse strayings, 



140 FLOWERS FROM A 

but they can be held by their teeth most securely if they 
are led into plentifnl pasture. O for the Holy Spirit's 
direction in dealing with weak and nnstable minds. 

DRY STICKS KIXBLING THE GREEN. 
" Two dry sticks will set a green one on fire. Can you blame tho 
children of God, then, if they mourn and enter their protest against 
the iniquity of the times ?'* 

They see how the prevalence of sin affects those 
who would fain be innocent, and how the fashion of 
evil sweeps along with it those who at first had better 
manners ; and this frets them sorely. We tremble at 
the mischief which can be done by men who are hard- 
ened in iniquity ; those dry sticks, so eager for the flame, 
are onr terror ; when such are laid together we know how 
fierce will be the burning. Companionship in evil leads 
to a high pitch of sin. Hands joined in hand draw on 
with great force those who seemed reluctant to go in the 
way of evil. O that our young people would be warned 
of the danger of bad example ! If we could keep the 
green sticks out of the way of the dry we should have 
little to fear for our sons and daughters ; but, alas, the 
wicked are often more attractive than the righteous, and 
fair speech and gay habits fascinate the inexperienced. 
The amiable but undecided of our youth are beguiled 
by the pleasant manners of worldly people, and before 
they are aware they become like their betrayers. 

Lord, save us from evil men, and when we are called 
in the order of providence to be in their presence, let us 
remember that we are also in thy presence, and so let us 
escape the contagion of their company. 

TUNING AN INSTRUMENT. 
** If we could learn to frame our minds to our estates, as the skil- 
ful musician letteth down the strings a peg lower when the tune 
requireth it, we should pass to heaven more comfortably.'* 



PUJilTAX'S GARDEN. 141 

Yes, we are as a rule pitched too high. We look for 
more in this life than it will ever yield us. If we could 
be satisfied witli less we should be less dissatisfied. It is 
a great pity when men try to live above their means, for 
it often ends in tlieir hardly having the means to live at 
all. Probably there is as much happiness in one station 
of life as in another if it is suitable to us, and we are 
able to fill it : the misery of life must be when a man 
has a little less than he needs and a great deal less than he 
aspires to. Contentment is the crown jewel of a happy 
life. We shall have enough, for the promise guarantees 
us our portion ; why need we fret after more ? " Here 
little and hereafter much," as Bunyan says, is best for us. 

O Lord, grant me grace to live above this world ; and 
wherein I must live upon it, and think about it, help me 
to have few desires and no cares. Tune my nature so 
that without fail my life may make music to thy praise. 

PKINTERS' PKOOFS. U 

'* O ye ministers of the word, consider weU that you are the first 
sheets from the King's press ; others are printed after your copy. If 
the first sheet be weU set, a thousand more are stamped with ease. 
See, then, that the power of religion prevail over your own hearts, 
lest you not only lose your own souls, but cause the ruin of others." 

Correcting for the press is work which has to be done 
with great care, since thousands of copies will be faulty 
if the proof-sheet be not as it should be. So should the 
minister of a congregation be seriously earnest to be 
right, because his people will imitate him. Like priest, 
like people ; the sheep will follow the shepherd. What 
need there is that the pastor should order his steps aright 
lest he lead a whole flock astray ! If the town-clock be 
wrong half the watches in the place will be out of time. 

We have all an influence over others. Even the least 
one among us lias some individual beneath his power to 



/ 



142 FLOWERS FPwOM A 

whom he serves as an example, for whom, indeed, he is 
a sort of proof-sheet. O that the good Lord would make 
ns correct in all points, lest we be propagators of sin 
through the influence of onr fanlts. By self-examination 
let us labor to correct the proofs. 

THE LAPWING. 

*' Usually complainers do least. The crafty lapv/ing will go tip 
and dov/n fluttering and crying, to draw the fowler from her own 
nest. We have some secret nest of our own, and we are loath it 
should be rifled and exposed to public view, and therefore we raise 
an alarm about other matters." 

This we may be doing without being aware of it, for 
self-deceit is easy. We may be amusing ourselves with 
zeal for political reforms when in truth our own personal 
habits need reforming, or we may be exclaiming against 
the errors of the church while our own private life far 
more needs our attention. It is a pity to be cheating 
our own selves. 

Our author, however, is very shrewd in his judgment 
of complainers. Our own experience leads us to the 
conclusion that critics of others, and noisy talkers of all 
kinds, have usually some design of their own, and are 
working to their own hand. If we were to press them 
home we should probably discover that they are no 
better than they should be. Their pretence of being 
wounded and hurt by the sins of others is a crafty 
scheme for drawing away observation from their own 
failings. Lapwings are plentiful enough all around us, 
and not a few are still deceived by their practices. 

O Lord, save me from all deceit, and, above all, 
prevent my deceiving myself. 

THE CHANGED BED. 
'* A sick man thinketh to have ease in another bed, in another 
room ; carry him thither, his pain continueth. If a carnal man had 



puritan's GARDEN". 143 

lived in the prophets' times or the apostles' times, he would have 
been the same as now ; see Matt. 23 : 29, 30. A brier is a brier 
wherever it groweth ; change of times will not avail without a change 
of heart. Adam sinned in Paradise ; the ctpostate angels in heaven ; 
hot was unchaste in the mountains, where were none but his own 
family ; in a howling wilderness, where they had no outward entice- 
ments, the Israelites were given to fleshly lusts." 

This is a needful rebuke of a very common folly ; let 
the reader see that he fall not into the error. We ought 
not blame our occupation, but our disposition. We may 
not saddle our poverty or our wealth with the sin which 
is purely of ourselves, for this is only an oblique way of 
blaming God for our faults. Change of place is not 
wanted, but change of heart. If, dear friend, you are 
unholy where you are, you would be the same in any 
othe'r position in life. The fault is not in your stars, 
but in yourself, that you are still an impenitent sinner. 
Lay this to heart ; abandon all idle excuses and seek 
your Saviour. 

DEEP FOUNDATIONS. 

** The Lord diggeth deep when he meaneth to raise the building 
high ; and when he would give men to know much of Christ, he 
first bringeth them out of themselves by godly sorrow. " 

We see many to be but low and mean in point of 
grace, not rising like towers toward heaven, but lying 
low upon the earth : these have never been digged out 
by a deep sense of sin, nor excavated by profound soul- 
trouble, and hence it would not be safe to build high 
with so shallow a foundation. If we could read the 
secret history of dwarfed Christians we should find that 
they never had much humbling of heart. They tell us 
there is as much of a tree under as above ground, and 
certainly it is so with a believer ; his visible life would 
soon wither were it not for his secret life, and his high 
enjoyments would fall over to his ruin were they not 



144 FLOWERS FROxM A 

balanced by his inward humiliations. There must be 
deep foundations if we are to have high walls ; we must 
be emptied of self, and everything of human strength, 
or we shall never be filled with the love of God. 

O my heart, be ready to be trenched deep if this be 
the necessary preparation for being built up aloft. 
Welcome pain and down-casting if edification is to 
follow. 

GOOD DIET IN UNHEALTHY PLACES. 
" When the air is infections we are the more carefnl of onr diet." 

In sickly times and places men endeavor to keep up 
the strength of their bodies by nourishing food, and they 
strive to avoid sickness by wholesome meat. In this 
they act wisely, and according to the rules of prudence. 
An equal care should be exercised over our souls. 
When the very air seems to be laden with error and 
vice, believers should set a double watch as to what they 
hear, and where they go. Sin is as subtle and as deadly 
as the foul gas which bears within it the seeds of plague, 
and therefore the utmost caution must be used that we 
keep as far from its occasions and temptations as we 
possibly can. We must also live nearer to God than 
ever, and feed more upon Christ, and seek more of his 
Spirit than at any former time, that we may be fortified 
against the unusual dangers of the age. So shall we be 
error-proof and vice-proof, and, though a thousand fall 
at our side, the spiritual death shall not come nigh unto 
UB. Errors, like diseases, prey upon the feebler sort, 
and though they bring no good even to the strong, 
yet these are able to cast off their deleterious influences, 
even as a man in armor shakes off the arrows which else 
would wound liim grievously. To be strong in the Lord 
is the best preservative against the ills of our age, and 
the perils of our surroundings. 



145 



O Lord, we would dwell in thy secret place, that 
abiding under thy shadow we may live unharmed even 
where Satan's seat is, should thy providence there pitch 
our tent. 

HEAVEN'S CEMENT. 

" Love is a grace that wiU make us industrious for the good of 
others, and therefore we read of the ' labor of love ' (1 Thess. 1 : 3). 
It is gluten animarum, the glue of souls, the cement and solder of the 
church : the jointing that runneth throughout all the living and 
squared stones (Col. 3 : 14). By this souls are mingled, and all 
mutual offices are cheerfully performed." 

O for more of this sacred cement. The walls of 
many churches gape with huge cracks for lack of it. 
Building with untempered mortar is an ancient fault, 
but nowadays some build w^ith no mortar at all. Pro- 
fessors seem to be piled together like a load of bricks, 
without life, love, or living truth to unite them ; and 
the promise is forgotten, " I will lay thy stones wdth fair 
colors." Will not our reader, if he be a believer, en- 
deavor to furnish his portion of the sacred cement of 
love, which is the perfect bond ? This will be far more 
useful than complaining of the lack of unity, for this 
complaint often creates the evil which it deplores. 
Critics pick out from betvreen the stones the mortar, of 
which there is little enough already ; but loving hearts 
fill up the cracks, and do their best to keep the struct- 
ure whole. '' Blessed are the peacemakers." 

How am I acting ? Am I a bond in the building, or 
do I, like the foolish woman in the Proverbs, pluck 
down the house with my hands ? O Lord of peace, 
make me more and more a lover of peace. 

LAY-FIGUKES. 
*' You would all judge it to be an affront to the majesty of God if 
a man should send his clothes stuffed with straw, or a puppet dressed 
up instead of himself, into the assemblies of God's people, and 



146 FLOWEKS FROM A 

think that this wonlcl do instead of his personal presence. Yet our 
clothes stuffed with straw would be less offensive to God than our 
bodies without our souls. The absence of the spirit is the absence 
of the more noble part." 

Think of this, ye whose hearts are with your flocks 
and herds, and shops, and ships, when you are in your 
churches and chapels. Will ye longer insult the Lord 
who will have only those to worship him who worship 
him in spirit and in truth ? A mind stuffed with vanity 
and unbelief must be worse than clothes stuffed with 
straw. Reader, have you never set up this abomination 
before the very eyes of the Eternal ? 

CLOWNS AND PEINCES. 

*' It is not a wonder for a clown, that hath not been acquainted 
with dainties, to love garlic and onions ; but for a prince, that hath 
been acquainted with better diet, to leave the dainties of his father's 
table for such base feeding, that were strange. I do not wonder at 
carnal men, that they are delighted with carnal objects : they never 
knew better ; but for a child of God, that hath tasted how gracious 
and sweet God in Christ is, to find sap and savor in coarser fare, this 
is wonderful. ' * 

Yet were our author now alive he might weep his 
eyes out as he saw professing Christians craving for the 
ball- room and the theatre. The carrion which professors 
can now feed upon is disgusting to the very thought of 
a real Christian. Entertainments are got up among 
religious people which are unworthy even of decent 
worldlings. Many true hearts are deeply wounded by 
this terrible degeneracy. Were it not for a small rem- 
nant we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto 

Gomon*ah. 

PAINT FOE PAINT. 

"A ministry that stayeth in the paint of words will beget but 
painted grace." 

If it is not a real, hearty ministry of grace, inspired 
by the Holy Spirit, it will end in nothing. Fine words 



purita:n^'s garden. 147 

neither wonnd nor lieal. Oratory may amuse, but it 
cannot convert ; and rhetoric may astonish, but it will 
never save. We must have more than mere words, 
however striking — paint will not do ; we want living 
preaching, by men in downright earnest, attended by 
the living Spirit, or else life will never be created or 
sustained by it. What is the use of coloring the cheek 
of the dead ? The hue of life is a mockery while death 
reigns within. That is evil preaching which creates the 
semblance of piety, but never imparts the substance. 

Lord, save me from being the imitation of a Christian, 
the produce of a mimic gospel. Give me thoroughness 
and sincerity, and let not my religion be a painted 
pageantry for me to go to hell in. Create in me a clean 
heart, OGod ! 

SLUGGAKDS HATE LIGHT. 

" The lazy world would fain lie upon the bed of ease, draw the 
curtains and rest ; and therefore light is troublesome to it. In these 
days men begin to tire of gospel music, and thirst and pant for the 
old unsavorj^ moral strains, which deal with sin in general, and do 
not irritate men by close personal applications." 

Faithful preachers are like those men whose business 
it is to arouse slumbering workmen and call them to 
their labors. The sound is not welcome to those who 
desire a little more slumber ; they wish no blessings 
upon the head. of the noisy watchman. Yet if they be 
aroused and reach their work betimes they have a good 
Vv^ord in the end for him who caused them to be up and 
doing. The watchman should not take notice of a hasty 
word from one half awake ; he may rest content that he 
will have their good word by and by. 

Manton was right in his suspicion that mere moral 
preaching would continue to have its admirers. Many 
nowadays reckon it a crime for the preacher to be rous- 



148 FLOAVEKS FROM A 

iDg and personal; they prefer a good sound moralist 
who Avill tell servants their duty, and let their masters 
and mistresses sleep. O that men were wise, for then 
they would count him to be the best preacher who the 
most earnestly calls them out of their beds of sinful ease 
to seek and find salvation. None do this but spiritual, 
gospel preachers. Your '^ moral" teacher pretends to 
be very practical, and yet if you watch for the results of 
his efforts, what will you see ? When you hav^e looked 
through a microscope you will only say, " There is noth- 
ing," for truly there are no results worth mentioning. 
Sin is a serpent which these moralists cannot tame, 
charm they never so wisely. 

Lord, help us to cry aloud, and spare not till the 
slumberers arise ; and let us use thy truth as the best 
awakener. Let thy light shine on sluggards and awaken 
them. If these things suffice not, Lord, thunder at 
them, and by some means break their death-sleep. 

THE LONG GARMENT. 
*' A garment which is too long trails in the mire and soon becomes 
a dirty rag ; and it is easy for large estates to become much the 
same. It is a hard lesson to * learn to abound ' (Phil. -4 : 12). We 
say such a one would do well to be a lord or a lady ; but it is a 
harder thing than we think it to be. " 

It is hard to carry a full cup with a steady hand. 
High places are dizzy places, and full many have fallen 
to their eternal ruin through climbing aloft without 
liaving grace to look up. The simile of the trailing 
garment used by Manton is simple, but instructive. 
Such robes raise a dust, and gather upon themselves all 
sorts of filthiness, besides being subjected to needless 
wear and tear. A man may have so much of this world 
that he misses the next. His long robe may trip him 
up in the race for the. heavenly prize, and he may fall a 



pukitak's garde:n". 149 

victim to the wealth he idolized. Alas, for the poor 
rich ! Faring sumptuously every day, and yet full often 
strangers to that deep and peerless joy which belongs to 
those who, in the deep waters of poverty, find a bound- 
less bliss in trusting God. When the rich are saved 
they should count it a miracle of grace, and feel great 
gratitude to him who enables a camel to go through the 
eye of a needle, notwithstanding his hump. 

Lord, give me neither poverty nor riches ; or, rather, 
be thou my riches, and give thyself to me. As for ail 
else, I would leave myself without reserve in thy hands. 

CKIPPLES MOCKING. 
** If cripples mock iis for going upright, we pity them." 

If worldlings rail at us for endeavoring to lead godly 
and sober lives, we should, not be angry, but rather 
sorrow over their infatuation. No wise man will swerve 
an inch from his path to please those who are mad with 
sin, nor will he break his heart because idiotic sinners 
make a jest of his uprightness. 

BIKD CATCHING BY NIGHT. 

** This is the Devil's device, first to maze people, as birds are with 
a light and a bell in the night, and then to drive them into the net. 
If you would keep to wholesome doctrine, keep to a form of whole- 
some words, and do not jDlace religion in conceited speaking." 

Would to God that this advice v/ould be heeded ! 
We have those about us who are forever inventino; 
some new thing, and using the old orthodox terms in an 
altogether novel sense. Their hearers are first dazzled 
with the clever candle-light, and cannot make (uit what 
the novel brilliance means ; and when they are thorough- 
ly bewildered, a great noise and tinkling is made of 
pretended wisdom and deep thought, so that the poor 
souls are ready to fly anywhere and anyhow. Thus 



150 FLOWERS FROM A 

the fowler's business is effectually done, and by tins 
means, if it were possible, they would ensnare the very 
elect. The safest way for simple souls is to keep to a 
definite and decided gospel ministry. If you do not 
know the voice of the shepherd, do not follow him. Of 
course joii will avoid a wolf, for his howl is your warn- 
ing ; but be doubly careful to keep clear of the false 
shepherd, and, to make quite sure of your man, count 
him to be false who is not evidently true. 

Lord, preserve my poor silly mind from being dazed 
and dazzled, and let me follow thy truth step by step 
even to the end. 

DWELLEES IN MAESHES. 
** In marshy countries we do not expect a clear air ; so sensual 
persons have seldom any clear and elevated thoughts of God. Men 
given to pleasures can taste meats and drinks, but not doctrines." 

Hence the folly of being swayed by their censures. 
Learned men are to be respected when they express 
opinions upon subjects which they understand ; but 
when they are knov/n to be without grace and spiritual 
light their opinions upon divine truth are not to be 
regarded. They have not the capacity to appreciate 
such things, and they had better let them alone. A 
blind man may be a first-rate musician, and in his own 
department he may be a master, but if he ventures to 
dogmatize upon color and artistic portraiture he is more 
worthy of ridicule than of reverence. Carnal men have 
not the needful taste by which divine doctrine is dis- 
cerned. Their minds are as to religion a mere marsh 
land, breeding fog and mist, and to hope for clear and 
expansive views of the gospel from them is in vain. 
May God of his great mercy uplift the great, sunken 
intellects of our day, and give a holy taste and discern- 
ment to those who now knov/ nothing of the bread of 



puritan's GARDEN". 151 

heaven or the new wine of the gospel. Meanwhile it 
will be as well to take as little notice as possible of their 
opinions npon rehgion, which must of necessity be 
valueless. 

THE UNFINISHED HOUSE. 
** We shaU not keep what we have received if we do not labor to 
increase it, as a house begun to be built goeth to decay, and droppeth 
down more and more, if we do not go on to finish it." 

Have we not all seen what are commonly called house- 
carcasses standing in desolation, a blot upon the street, 
and a dead loss to the builder ? To-day the slates are fall- 
ing, to-morrow the windows are broken, and anon timber 
after timber falls. Just such are tliey who having begun 
to build in the matter of religion have failed to count the 
cost, and so come to a stand -still, and speedily arrive at 
a ruin. We believe — not in the continuance of un- 
progressive grace, but in the perseverance and progress 
of saints even to the end. Blessed are they who have 
this persevering progress, for these are habitations 
builded of God. Others, who abide in their immovable 
self-content, are ruined by degrees, and prove them- 
selves to be mere carcasses, within which the living graces 
have never taken up their residence. 

Remember this, O my soul, and pray the Lord to 
build thee up by his Spirit, and complete in thee the 
work of grace with power. 

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS. 
" If because you are Christians you promise yourselves a long 
lease of temporal happiness, free from troubles and afflictions, it is 
as if a soldier going to the wars should promise himself peace and 
continual truce with the enemy ; or as if a mariner committing him- 
self to the sea for a long voyage, should promise himself nothing 
but fair and calm weather, without waves and storms ;— so irrational 
it is for a Christian to promise himself rest here upon earth.' ' 

Experience abundantly confirms this, and yet who 



152 FLOWERS FROM A 

would not be a soldier of the cross ? And, being so, 
who would wish to be a feather-bed soldier, never flush- 
ing one's sword, or smelling powder. If there be no 
war there can be no victory ; ease is tlierefore our loss 
and hindrance. What we need is not freedom from con- 
flict, but abundance of faith. Trials would little try us 
if we had more confidence in God, and afflictions would 
have small power to afflict us if we laid up our heart's 
joy and confidence in the Lord alone. Nearness to God 
is the one desideratum. 

O Lord, draw us very near thee, and then we shall 
dwell in peace though the whole world should battle 
with us. 

BURNING A HOUSE TO KILL MICE. 
** If a man should fire a house to destroy the mice in it, we should 
think him to be fairly mad.'* 

Yet those who consider themselves to be reasonable 
men will set a church in a blaze about the merest trifle. 
Meeting after meeting will be called, and angry discus- 
sions provoked, and holy work overturned about the 
smallest mistake of the preacher, or the minutest fault 
of a deacon. One would think that heaven itself was 
endangered, and yet it turns out to be a .question of 
infinitesimal importance. Societies which were doing 
great service have even been broken up by the crazy 
Vv^himsies of good brethren, who made much ado about 
nothing, and did great harm in trying to do a little good. 

But the mice are a nuisance ! Of course they are, 
and we must buy a cat or set a trap, but we certainly 
shall not burn the house down when a simple means will 
accomplish our purpose. We aim at reformation, not at 
desolation. We see no wisdom in so perpetually im- 
proving a church or a good society that in the end it is 
improved from off the face of the earth. Religion lias 



PUIUTAX'S GARDEN. 153 

been thought to be sick, and fools liave doctored it till 
they brought it to death's door by tlieir poisons. 
Prudence is to be used, even when our object is wortlii- 
est of zeal ; and never ought we to endanger a really 
good thing for the sake of making it a little better. 

Lord, make me wise as a serpent and harmless as a 
dove, and if I am called to protest against error or sin, 
help me to do it in the spirit of my Lord. 

CLOSING THE FLOOD-GATES. 
" Anj^ fool can open the flood-gates, but when the waters have 
once broken out, who can recaU them ?" 

A question well worthy to be weighed by those who 
create strife. They can with a few hasty words set 
loose a torrent of anger and nncharitableness, and cause 
the sweeping away of much good service and sweet 
fellowship, but who shall rule, restrain, or call back the 
raging flood. O meddler, pause ere thy sad work be 
actually commenced, for woe unto that man by whom 
the offence cometh ! 

So, too, a stream of dangerous doctrine may easily 
enough be set flowing among a people. Doubtful words 
and curious questions may soon let out a ruinous deluge 
of infidelity and false teaching, and he who at the first 
drew np the flood-gate may never have dreamed what 
would come of it ; he may even wring his hands at 
horror of his own deed, and yet may be utterly power- 
less to stay the mischief. Be cautious, therefore, O 
speculating teacher. Carry thine inventive faculties 
into a less dangerous region. Let the old barriers stand, 
and be not thou Satan's tool to do a mischief which an 
age may rue. 

THE SPIDER. 

'* The blind hope that is fonnd in men ignorant and presnmptnous 
will certainly fail ihem ; it ].s compared to ' a spider's web/ Job 



154 FLOWEKS FROM A 

8 : 14. The spider spinneth a web out of her own bowels, which is 
swept away as soon as the besom cometh ; so do carnal men conceive 
a few rash and ungrounded hopes ; but when death cometh, or a 
little trouble of conscience, these vain conceits are swept away." 

Let US not spin a hope of heaven out of ourselves, or 
our own works, feelings, or professions. Such a w^eb 
of confidence may be very ingeniously contrived, but it 
must be very frail and will inevitably be swept away. 
What is a man full of self -righteousness but a dark room 
full of cobwebs ? Good liousekeepers do not care for 
the clever w^orks of this poor insect, but are eager to 
destroy them, for they are a detriment, and not an 
ornament. Neither spiders nor their webs are accept- 
able to us ; and even so we may depend upn it that 
when we have finished the web of our legal hopes and 
worked hard at our will worship, God will have no more 
respect to us and our proud doings than we have to 
spiders and their constructions. Let proud Pharisees 
think of this and be humbled. The bee is our example, 
for she builds a house, but fetches all the material from 
abroad, and it is from the flowers of the garden, and not 
from herself, that she procures the honey with which 
she stores her cells. Spiders suck no flowers as bees do, 
their productions are from their own bowels. True 
believers get all the substance and sweetness of their 
hopes from the flowers of the promises, and dare not live 
upon themselves, or anything that they can do or be. 

BIEDS ON THE WING. 
*' Birds are seldom taken in their flight ; the more we are ajjon 
the wing of heavenly thoughts, the more we escape snares." 

O that we would remember this, and never tarry long 
on the ground lest the fowler ensnare us. We need to 
be much taken up with divine things, rising in thought 
above these temporal matters, or else the world will en- 



155 



tangle us, and we shall be like birds held with limed 
twigs, or encompassed in a net. Holy meditation can 
scarely be overdone ; in this age we fear it never is. 
We are too worldly, and think too much of the fleeting 
trifles of time, and so the enemy gets an advantage of 
us, and takes a shot at us. O for more wing and more 
use of the flio:ht we have ! Communion with Jesus is 
not only sweet in itself, but it has a preserving power 
by bearing us aloft, above gun-shot of the enemy. 
Thoughts of heaven prevent discontent with our present 
lot, delight in God drives away love to the world, and 
joy in our Lord Jesus expels pride and carnal pleasure : 
thus we escape from many evils by rising above them. 

Up, then, my heart. Up from the weedy ditches and 
brierj^ hedges of the world into the clear atmosphere of 
heaven. There where the dews of grace are born, and 
the sun of righteousness is Lord paramount, and the 
blessed wind of the Spirit blows from the everlasting 
hills, thou wilt find rest on the wing, and sing for joy 
where thine enemies cannot even see thee. 

YALENTINIAN AND THE SPOTTED GARMENT. 

* ' There is a story of Valentinian in Theodoret, that when he 
accompanied Julian the Apostate to the temple of Fortune, those 
that had charge of the house sprinkled their holy water upon the 
emperor, and a drop feU upon Valentinian's garment. He beat the 
officer, saying that he was poUuted, not purged, and tore off the 
piece of his garment upon which the drop lighted, * hating,' saith 
the historian, ' the garment spotted by the flesh.' " 

• The man was decided and outspoken, and this may 
well make ns lenient toward his rough way of showing 
it. The story is narrated, not that we may imitate 
Yalentinian in his violence, but that we may regard it 
as a figure of the holy horror which ought to inspire us 
when so much as a spot of sin defiles us. We are to 



156 FLOWERS FROM A 

keep ourselves unspotted from the world ; not only free 
from great smears and daubs, but even from spots. O 
for a deep hatred of sin, and a determination to part 
vrith anything and everything which bears its stain. 
Let us rend off a polluting habit and utterly abstain 
from it, however pleasing it may have been. Sins of 
the flesh especially are so apt to grow that the least 
approach to impurity must be regarded as a plague-spot ; 
here there must be no dallying with evil, or winking at 
the appearance of it. The same is true of all other 
forms of evil, the smallest seed will bring forth a terrible 
harvest. From the least error, the least wrong, the 
least falsehood we must be purged if we would walk 
with Christ and be accepted of him as his '^ disciples 
indeed." 

Lord, cleanse thou me, that I may be without fault 
before thy throne. 

COUETIEKS' COUETESY. 
*' Courtiers are more polite in their manners than ordinary sub- 
jects, because they are more in their prince's eye and company. 
The oftener we are in God's court the more holy shall we become." 

The company of the Lord's holy servants raises the 
tone of our thought and makes us aspire after a sanctity 
beyond what w^e possess, and therefore we may be sure 
that communion with their Lord will be still more bene- 
ficial to us. If we learn good manners from the man, 
what may we expect from being wnth the Master ! From 
Jesus we shall learn gentleness and love, purity and self- 
sacrifice, and so acquire the courtly manners of the 
Prince of Peace, shaking off at the same time the 
boorish ways which cling to us from having dwelt in 
Mesecli and tabernacled in the tents of Kedar. There 
is no preparation for heaven like abiding wdth heaven's 
Lord. 



PUlUTAi^'S GARDEN. 157 

Come, my heart, art thou now walking with God ? 
How long since thou hast spoken with thy sovereign ? 
Arise and get thee to his royal courts, and, once there, go 
no more out forever. Thy heaven and thy preparation 
for heaven both lie in thy Lord. 

FINE SPUN THEEAD. 

** When the thread of the gospel is too fine spun, it wiU not clothe 
a naked soul." 

Nice distinctions and technical phrases may hide the 
fulness of the word of God, and the simple truth may 
be treated in such a philosophical manner that its strength 
and substance may be taken away. Some men preach 
the gospel, but there is very little of it. It is the right 
wool, but it is spun too fine. They give milk, it is 
true, but the water of their own notions so dilutes it 
that a man might sooner be drowned in it than nourished 
by it. O to preach a full gospel fully ! — to give it out 
with the richness and freeness which »poor sinners need. 
This is one of the great demands of the day. Men are 
very liberal in their views, but they are not liberal in 
dealing out the precious things of the gospel of Christ. 
Cold is this world and bitter are the blasts of conscience, 
and while they are shivering in their sins, poor awakened 
souls need all the gospel of grace, and all the grace of 
the gospel. O that our brethren would give up their 
fine spinning and wire-drawing of the doctrines of grace, 
and give us something substantial from the storehouse 
of the everlasting covenant, and plenty of it. Alas, too 
many despise the old-fashioned word, and in their heart 
of hearts hate the very doctrine which they pretend to 
uphold. We know some w^ho have no more right in the 
Christian ministry than Mahometans, and yet they say 
they are followers of Jesus. We have not so learned 
Christ. 



158 PLOWERS FROM A 

THE FKIGHTENED WOLF. 

"A wolf may be scared from his prey, but yet lie keepeth bis 
preying and devouring nature." 

He has not lost his taste for lambs, though he was 
obliged to drop the one which he had seized. So a 
sinner may forego his beloved lust, and yet remain as 
truly a sinner as before. He gives tip tlie drink for fear 
of losing his situation, or dying of disease, but he would 
be at his liquor again if he dared. The fear of hell 
whips him off some favorite vice, and yet his heart pines 
for it,, and in imagination he gloats over it. While this 
is the case the man in the sight of God is as his heart is : 
the muzzled wolf is still a wolf, the silenced swearer is 
still profane in lieart, the lewd thinker is still an adul- 
terer. 

Something is done when a wolf is scared, or a trans- 
gressor driven out of his evil ways, yet nothing is done 
which will effectually change the wolf or renew the 
ungodly heart. A frightened sinner is a sinner still. 
Like the frightened dog, he will return to his vomit ; 
and like the sow that was washed, he will wallow in the 
mire again as soon as opportunity offers. " Ye must be 
born again :" — this is the only effectual cure for sin. 
While the natiu-e is unchanged it is but the outside of 
the cup and platter which is washed. '' Truth in the 
inward parts" is that which God desireth, and till that 
IS given we remain under wrath. Any thief will turn 
honest under the gallows, and yet if he were set free he 
would rob the first house he came to. A scare is not a 
conversion. A sinner may be frightened into hypocrisy, 
but he must be wooed to repentance and faith. Love 
tames and grace transforms ; may the God of all grace 
deal thus with each of us. 



puritan's garden. 159 

THE FALLEN SOT. 
*' A sottish drunkard, that is overpoised with his own excess, lieth 
where he falleth, and except some friendly hand lift him up, there 
he perisheth ; and just so it is with sinners, they are pleased with 
their condition, and if they be not soundly roused up and awakened, 
they lie and die, and fry in their sins. Oh ! then, pluck them out of 
the fire, warn them to llee from the wrath to come. " 

Be in earnest with them ! Exhort, rebuke, entreat. 
Do not leave them to perish in their sins. Use a holy 
violence with them, and pull them out of the mire. 
Common humanity would lead us to help a sheep which 
had fallen into a ditch, and shall we come to the rescue 
of an immortal soul ? The sottishness and folly of the 
ungodly must not dispirit us ; we must take that into the 
account, and we shall not wonder at their uncouth and 
ungrateful treatment of us. As a drunken man does 
not want to be helped, and curses those who would servo 
him, so is it often with those ungodly ones who most of 
all require our aid. Let us not be put off by them, but 
labor to save them even though they are resolved to 
destroy themselves. Whatever evil expressions they use 
toward us now, they will think and speak very different- 
ly if they are saved by our means. We will appeal from 
the verdict of their present drunkenness to the thank- 
fulness of their future sobriety. 

Blessed Master, make us more concerned to win souls, 
and let us never give over, however bad men may be. 
How can we let them perish when we remember that 
thou wouldst not leave us to die in our sins, though we 
were as far gone as any of those around us 1 

THE CLOCK OF PROVIDENCE. 
*' There is a clock with which Providence keepeth time and pace, 
and God himself setteth it." 

So that everything happens with divine punctuality. 
Israel came out of Egypt on the selfsame night in which 



160 FLOWEIiS FROM A 

tlie redemption was appointed, and afterward wandered 
in the wilderness till the hour had come when the in- 
icjuity of the Amorites was full. Our time is always 
come, for we are in selfish haste ; but our Lord when 
on earth had his set times and knew how to wait for 
them. The great God is never before his time, and 
never too late. We may well admire the punctuality of 
heaven. 

Our trials come in due season, and go at the appointed 
moment. Our fretfulness will neither hasten nor delay 
the purpose of our God. We are in hot haste to set the 
world right, and to order all affairs : the Lord hath the 
leisure of conscious power and unerring wisdom, and it 
w^ill be w^ell for us to learn to wait. The clock will not 
strike till the hour ; but when the instant cometh we 
shall hear the bell. My soul, trust thou in God, and 
wait patiently when he says, " My time is not yet come." 

THE HOUSE ON FIEE. 

*' If a man set Ms house on fire, lie is liable to the law ; if it be 
fired by others, or by an ill accident, he is pitied and relieved. " 

We are to take up our cross when laid upon our 
shoulders by God's providence ; but we are not to make 
trouble for ourselves. We are not to fill our own cup 
with gall and wormwood, but to drink it off when God 
puts a bitter draught into our hand. We are to meet 
temptation and overcome it ; but w^e may not venture 
into temptation on our own account, or we may have to 
rue our foolhardiness. 

The figure of the burning house is a very apt one, and 
capable of many illustrations. A man who partakes of 
wine or strong liquors wilfully fires his own hoiise^ and, 
whatever may be the result of his intemperance, he can 
only blame himself. He who reads sceptical works, or 



puritan's gardex. 161 

frequents infidel society, cannot be j^itied if he loses 
faith and comfort, for he runs a wanton and useless risk. 

To be taken at unawares by a tierce temptation, is to 
be like a building fired by a malicious hand, and this is a 
grievous calamity ; but to go wilfully into temptation is 
another matter, and is comparable to the crime of arson, 
in which a man collects combustible materials and secret- 
ly kindles them, that his house may be burned down. 

Lord, evermore keep me from being my own de- 
stroyer. Let me not, like Absalom, grow my hair for 
my own hanging. " Let not any iniquity have dominion 
over me." 

A KNOCK BORNE FOR THE SAKE OF A CROWN. 
*' A man win venture a knock that is in reach of a crown.'* 

The ambitious will run all risks of cruel w^ounds, and 
death itself, to reach a throne ; the prize hardens thenx 
against all hazards. Even so will every wise man en- 
counter all difticulties for the crown of life ; and when, 
by faith, he sees it within reach, he will count all afflic- 
tions light through which he wades to glory. ' ' If we 
suffer, we shall also reign w4th him." 

PROVISION FOR A JOURNEY. 
*' He that is in a journey to heaven must be provided for aU 
weathers ; for though it be sunshine when he first sets forth, a storm 
win overtake him before he cometh to his journey's end." 

Very small must be the number who have had fair 
weather all the way to glory : it is questionable if ever 
one has been so favored. Hence we ought, every one 
of us, to be prepared for tempest and hurricane, or we 
may be found in an evil plight in the day of our calamity. 
The presence of God is the only universal preservative. 
When he is with us the sun shall not hurt us by day, 
nor the moon by night. God, all-sufficient, meets every 
contingency, seen or unseen. Faith nmst take her God 



162 FLOWERS FROM A 

to herself, and tlien prudently look forward to occasions 
for making test and proof of the endless uses to which 
the Divine presence can be turned. A man who has 
made ample provision for all weathers is rather glad 
than sorry to be driven to use what he has provided, 
and, even so, trials are well-nigh welcomed by the man 
who is fully armed against them. He feels that it would 
be a kind of waste to be well stored and then never have 
to draw upon the supply — a sort of superfluity to be 
fully armed and yet never to meet an enemy. 

Have faith in Christ and you are ready for anything, 
thankful for everything, afraid of nothing. " Ye are 
complete in him." 

MAKING A NOISE BY CRYING ''SILENCE." 

*' A crier in the court, that is often commanding silence, dis- 
tiirbeth the court more than they that make the noise ; so, disputing 
with our distractions increaseth them. They are better avoided by 
a severe contempt." 

That is to say, when Satan would disturb us at our 
devotions by injecting blasphemous thoughts or trifling 
ideas, we had better keep right on, and as much as pos- 
sible disregard his interruptions. As blind Bartimeus 
cried all the more because ofTicious persons sought to 
silence him, so should we be the more vehement in our 
supplications when the devil seeks to take us off from 
them. When he knocks let us fasten another bolt, and 
let him knock till he grows weary. Our business is with 
the Lord, and let us give our whole heart to seeking his 
face, for if we turn away to answer the enemy he will at 
once have gained his point. When he paints images on 
our fancy, if we steadfastly refuse to look at them he 
will cease from the unprofitable work, and betake him- 
self to work upon some more foolish folk, who will turn 
aside from prayer to answer his vile insinuations. Let 



GARDEN. 163 

liim howl as he pleases ; if we do not regard him his 
pride will be hurt more severely than by any blow that 
we can aim at him. 

** Satan trembles when he sees 
The weakest saint upon his knees." 

Therefore, let us keep to our praying, and let him 
keep to his tempting till he has had enough of it, " Get 
thee behind me, Satan" is as much attention as he de- 
serves. Herein is wisdom, and he that hath understand- 
ing will learn from it. 

KIPENING COKN. 
*' Before corn be ripened it needeth aU kinds of weather. The 
husbandman is glad of showers as well as sunshine ; rainy weather 
is troublesome, but sometimes the season requireth it.*' 

Eveii so the various conditions of man's life are need- 
ful to ripen him for the life to come. Sorrows and 
joys, deprcv^sions and exhilarations, have all their part to 
play in the completion of Christian cliaracter. Were 
one grief of a believer's career omitted, it may be he 
would never be prepared for lieaven : the slightest 
change might mar the ultimate result. God, who 
knows best how to ripen both corn and men, ordereth 
all things according to the counsel of his will, and it is 
our wisdom to believe in the infallible prudence which 
arrano;es all the details of a believino; life. " All thinors 
work together for good." 

LOOKING FOR AN EXPECTED GUEST. 
" Wlien we expect any one, we turn our eyes that way, as the 
wife looks toward the sea, when she expects her husband's return/' 

Surely, then, if we look for Christ to come we shall 
keep our eyes lieaven ward, and our minds occupied with 
the country from which he cometli. If we mind eartiily 
things, it will be evidence that the coming of the Lord 
lias no power over us. 



164 FLOWERS FROM A 

Yet a good wife does not sit idly by the sea watching 
for a sail, but she sets the house in order for her hus- 
band's return. She wlio should sit looking out of 
window, or studying almanacs, and have no provision 
made for the home-coming, would show but scant love 
for her lord. We should watch, but we should also 
stand with cmv loins girt, and do the duty of the hour^ 
that when our Lord comes he may not blame our 
neghgence in his service. If we know little of the 
prophecies, we can sliovv^ our expectancy by keeping the 
precepts. 

PAYMENT IN GOLD INSTEAD OF COPPEK. 

" Though Christ paid the same debt as that which is due from lost 
souls, yet, through the excellency of his person, it was done in a 
shorter time. A payment in gold is the same sum as a payment in 
silver or brass ; only, through the excellency of the metal, it taketh 
up less room." 

Thus do w^e clearly see how the one death of Jesus^ 
Avas a fit and full substitute for the eternal woe of many. 
How precious does it appear in that light ! We are 
redeemed w4th a price inconceivable ! Gold and silver 
are corruptible tilings in comparison therewith. How 
we ought to prize the adorable person of our Lord ! 
What high thoughts we ought to entertain of him, seeing 
that it is " by liimself " that lie purged our sins ! His 
own intrinsic excellence was the essential value of the 
great price which he had paid. Had he been less illus- 
trious his sufferings had been insufficient. Precious 
blood ! yea, more precious Lord Jesus, from whose pre- 
ciousness the finished w^ork derives its infinite efficacy. 

SLOW SHOWERS AEE BEST. 
*' We would have speedy riddance of trouble, but God thinketh 
not lit to grant our request. Showers that come by drops soak into 
the earth better than those that come in a tempest and hurricane." 

The gradualness and long continuance of a trial, which 



puritan's gauden. 165 

are its sliarpness and bitterness, are also, to a large extent, 
tlie causes of its usefulness. If the atHiction came and 
departed with a rash, we should be rather swept away 
by it than softened and saturated by its influence. To 
push a crucible among the glowing coals and snatch it 
forth again would answer no purpose in refining : the 
metal must tarry in the furnace till the fire has done its 
work. 

Perhaps the reader has long lived in a perpetual drip 
of trouble, and now feels himself to be quite weary of 
the endless torture. Let him not faint under the 
lengthened process : the highest degree of benefit is 
accruing to him from the continuance of his adversity. 
In the later part of a trial every stroke tells with tenfold 
result, and operates with a greatly increased eflicacy. It 
would be a pity for the Lord to stay his hand when it is 
working with such special and marked result. All the 
preceding affliction has only worked the heart into a fit 
condition to receive the master-strokes of the Divine 
Artist. The ground colors havf^ hitherto been laid on, 
but the second and finishing touch is now being given ; 
therefore, ask not the hand to cease, but rather pray that 
its work may be carried on with power, and the Lord's 
glory be seen in it all. It will not cease raining yet ; 
and why should it so long as the soil is being softened, 
saturated, and fertilized by the falling drops ? Let 
patience have her perfect work ; and how can that be 
useless the tribulation runs its full time ? 

Lord, make me ready to tarry for the vision, however 
long it may be delajed. Thy way of trying me is the 
best. I would not Iiurry thy hand if I could. 

GERMAN CHILDREN DIPPED IN THE RHINE. 

" God seeth it fitting sometimes, at our first setting forth, as the 
old Germans were want to dip their children in the Rhine to harden 



166 PLOWERS FROM A 

them, go to season ns for our whole course by plunging ns in trouble. 
Saints must bear the yoke from their youth, or first acquaintance 
with God (Heb. 10 : 32), for this is good for them." 

Some of lis can indorse this opinion from our own 
experience. Sliarp trials in our early days hardened us 
for our life's warfare. Abused and misrepresented botli 
by good and bad, we learned to set small store by the 
judgment of men, so that when praise and flattery fol- 
lowed, we had an antidote for .the poisons. Pain and 
depression of spirit, endured in early life, have prepared 
many to sympathize with the unhappy, and to live a life 
of benevolence. A baptism into fire is, for young con- 
verts, a terrible ordeal, and yet an incalculable blessing. 
The whole Church endured this baptism for ages, and 
thereby gathered a strength much needed in these last 
days. 

Let us never despise the chastening of the Lord. 
Should he seem to dip us in the Styx itself, let us 
believe that it is for our good, and stand to Job's resolve, 
^' Though he slay me, yet will 1 trust in him." 

THE TKADESMAN MISSING HIS CUSTOMER. 

" You that are tradesmen are troubled if you happen to be abroad 
when a good customer cometh to deal with you : the ordinances of 
God are the market for your souls ; if you had not been abroad with 
Esau you might have received the blessing, and gone away richly 
laden from a prayer-meeting, from the word, and the Lord's Supper ; 
but you lose your advantages for want of attention." 

With what diligence should we use the means of 
grace, '' not forsaking the assembling of ourselves 
together as the manner of some is ;" and when we are 
there, we sliould be like the shopkeeper — on the lookout 
for business ; not half asleep, or wandering in our minds. 
If we were more lively at sermons, we should find them 
more lively. Nothing profits a man which is done 
carelessly ; when our minds are not in our business we 



puritan's GARDEN". 167 

cannot prosper in it, and we may be even more sure 
that we cannot profit by sacred exercises if we are not 
intensely earnest in them. If customers call, and find 
the tradesman away, he loses all hope of gain ; and 
when grace and blessing come, and our hearts are not 
on the watch, we miss heavenly treasure, and remain in 
a poor and miserable condition. My soul, bestir thyself. 
Lord, quicken thou me in thy ways. 

BEADY TO SAIL. 

*' A Christian should be always as a ship that hath taken in its 
lading, and is prepared and furnished with all manner of tackling, 
ready to set sail, only expecting the good wind to carry him out of 
the haven/' 

Would to God it were always so with us. We are 
fully stored and equipped in Christ Jesus, and yet we 
-do not always enjoy the holy quiet which ought to 
spring out of so divine a fact. All is well. Why do 
we not feel that it is so ? Why do we fear to depart ? 
There remains nothing for us but to obey the call, let 
loose the cable, and float into the heavenly haven ; but 
we act as if it were not so, and often dread the time for 
commencing the last voyage. It is more important to 
be prepared to live aright than to be in an ecstasy at the 
thought of death ; but, still, v/hile we are ready for 
service, it is sweet also to be ready for glory. The 
thought of death should never put us in a flurry. It 
should be every-day work to die : indeed, we should be 
always dead with Christ. Where this is realized death 
is dead, and as children are not afraid of a dead lion, so 
we also are not disturbed at the prospect of departing 
out of this world unto the Father. 

*' All that remains for me 
Is but to love and sing, 
And wait until the angels come 
To bear me to my king. ' ' 



168 FLOWERS PKOM A 

THAT WHICH WILL FILL A SEA WILL FILL A BUCKET. 

" God is satisfied with himself, and sufficient to his own happi- 
ness. Therefore, surely, there is enough in him to fill the creature. 
That which fills an ocean will fill a bucket ; that which will fill a 
gallon will fill a pint ; those revenues which will defray an emperor's 
expenses are enough for a beggar or poor man." 

Good reasoning. God all sufficient is assuredly 
more than sufficient for me. What said Paul ? " My 
God shall fill up all your needs, according to his riches 
in glory by Christ Jesus." 

CONTRARY TO BIAS. 
** A man may act from a violent impression contrary to nature, as 
a stone moveth upward, or a bowl thrown with great strength will so 
run that it is clear that the bias is overruled ; so a wicked man may 
do a good action or two, as Saul forced himself ; but the bent and 
natural inclination is another thing.'* 

A fish now and then leaps out of the water, but it is 
not a bird ; and a swallow touches the brook with its 
wing, but it is not a fish. Occasional actions and deeds 
done under pressure are no evidences of a man's condi- 
tion one Avay or another. Even a life of pure morality 
may not be a sure proof of a gracious heart ; for circum- 
stances and surroundings may have restrained the natural 
tendency of the mind, and it may be secretly as impure 
as that of the man who riots in open crime. A young 
leopard seemed to be perfectly tame for years, but it 
once had an opportunity of tasting blood, and straight- 
v\'ay its innate ferocity was aroused. Some men only 
need to be assailed by a fitting temptation, and we should 
soon see that Satan's power within them is in full force. 
The ball must be cured of its bias, or else the next throw 
may reveal its inability to move in a straight line ; and 
so we must be renewed in heart, or our next action or 
thought may manifest our depravity. 

Lord, make me to do good freely and naturally because 



purita:s^'s garde]S". 169 

I delight to do it ; for nothing less than this will prove 
that thou hast renewed me by thy Spirit. 

THE HOLDER OF THE KEYS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR. 

** What strange condescension, that he who hath the key of David 
shonld knock at the Father's gate, and receive his own heaven by 
gift and entreaty !*' 

These are Manton's words of surprise at the first 
sentences of our Lord's prayer in John 17 : '' Father, 
glorify thy Son." Even to Jesus it is said, ''Ask of 
me." God had one Son without sin, but never a son 
who did not pray. The cry of " Abba, Father !" is the 
mark of sonship. True prayer is the sign of a true-born 
child of God : " Behold, he prayeth" is the token by 
which each heir of glory is known. 

"What, then, must be the condition of such as never 
pray ? How dwelleth sonship in them ? All who call 
upon the Lord in spirit and in truth may say, " Our 
Father :" it is as '' the Father" that God seeketh such 
to worship him. 

O my heart, dread above all things a prayerless spirit ! 
Thon hast not the key of David ; how, then, canst thou 
enter into glory without knocking ? He who had power 
to enter of himself yet asked that he might receive. 
Rouse thee, my soul, to renewed supplication, and may 
the Father hear thee at this hour, for Jesus' sake. 

CHILD'S PLAY. 
*' To rule a kingdom is a nobler design than to play with children 
for pins or nuts/' 

What, then, is the folly of the worldling's choice 
when he prefers to be contending among men for earthly 
toys, instead of seeking those things which are above ! 
How great the degradation of professing Christians when 
their minds are taken up with fashionable trivialities 
instead of living alone to glorify their God, and acting 



170 FLOWERS FRO])I Jl 

as tliose whom Jesus has made to be kings and priests I 
Who cares for pebbles when jewels glitter before him ? 
Who would choose toys and rattles when the wealth of 
the Indies is offered him ? Let us be no longer children 
or fools, but act as men who have put away childish 
things. 

THE PEICELESS PEICE. 
" The satisfaction must carry proportion with the merit of the 
offence. A debt of a thousand pounds is not discharged by two or 
three brass farthings. Creatures are finite, their acts of obedience 
are already due to God, and their sufferings for one another, if they 
had been aUowed, would have been of limited influence.'* 

Jesus alone, as the Son of God, could present a sub- 
stitution sufficient to meet the case of men condemned 
for their iniquities. The majesty of his nature, his 
freedom from personal obligation to the law, and the 
intensity of his griefs, all give to his atonement a virtue 
which elsewhere can never be discovered. ITone of the 
sons of men ' ' can by any means redeem his brother, nor 
give to God a ransom for him. " Jesus only could stand 
in our soul's stead, and pay the dreadful price. 

What sinners we are ! What a sacrifice has been 
presented for us ! No brass farthings were our price ; 
nay, gold and silver are called '^corruptible things" 
when compared with the precious blood which has paid 
our ransom. 

PHIDIAS AND HIS NAME. 

** Like Phidias, who in his image carved his own name, there is 
God engraven upon every creature." 

Not in characters of human writing is it written, but 
in the character of the work. Phidias needed not to 
have written the word PHIDIAS in so many letters, for 
the master's hand had a cunning of its own which none 
could counterfeit. An ^ instructed person had only to 
look at a statue and say at once, ^' Phidias did this, for 



puritak's gardek. 171 

no other hand conld have chiselled such a countenance ;'* 
and believers have only to look either at creation, provi- 
dence, or the divine word, and they will cry instinctive- 
ly, " This is the finger of God." Yet, alas, man has 
great powers of wilful bh'ndness, and these are aided by 
the powers of darkness, so that, being both blind and in 
the dark, man is unable to see his God, though his 
presence is as clear as that of the sun in the heavens. 

EXPEDIENT ABSENCE. 
" It is better for ns that Christ should be in heaven than with us 
upon earth. A woman had rather have her husband live with her 
than go to the Indies ; but she yieldeth to his absence when she 
considereth the profit of his traffic.'* 

The figure is well selected. Let us dwell on it a 
while, and think of the amazing profit which this journey 
of our best Beloved is bringing in to us. He is pleading 
in the place of authority : what an enrichment to us to 
have an Intercessor at the throne of grace, through 
whom every true prayer is accepted ! He is ruling on 
the seat of empire, arranging all providences for the 
success of his church : what a gain to have our Head 
and Leader raised above all principalities and powers ! 
He is preparing a place for his people : what a boon to 
have such a Foreruimer, Representative, and Preparer ! 
Moreover, by his departure we have received the Holy 
Ghost, of whose divine value what pen shall write ! 
He is with us and in us, our Instructor, Quickener, 
Purifier, and Comforter. 

Even upon these few points we are great gainers by 
his bodily absence ; but there is much more. If our 
Lord judged it to be expedient that he should go, then 
expedient it is in the highest sense, and therefore let us 
solace ourselves in his present bodily absence from us 
*' till the day break, and the shadows flee away." 



173 FLOWBBIB FROM A 

THE EMPTY HOPPER. 

*' The mind is like a mill : when it wanteth com it grindeth npon 
itself." 

And tliis is the cause of miicli of the mental depression 
which afflicts mankind ; many people have nothing to 
think of outside of themselves, and so their thoughts 
prey upon their own hearts. Occupation is the remedy 
for many an internal sorrow. The study of the Script- 
ures would prevent brooding over imaginary ills. Try 
it, good friend, and see ! Fill the hopper of thy mind's 
will with holy instruction, and thou shalt get for thyself 
good corn instead of wear and tear and grit. 

THE LOVING WIDOW. 
** A woman, that only bemoaneth the loss of her husband in com- 
pany, but banisheth all thoughts of him when alone, might justly be 
suspected to act a tragedian's part, and to pretend sorrow rather than 
feel it.'* 

Tlie moral is, that one who only has Christ upon his 
tongue in public, and has no thought of him when alone, 
is a mere actor and hypocrite. Secret religion is the 
very soul of godliness. What we are alone, that alone 
we are. Private communion with Jesus is a better sign 
of grace than all the outward sacraments that were ever 
attended. It is not likely that a hypocrite will dehght 
in solitary devotion ; there is nothing in it to pay him 
for his trouble ; for his reward is the praise of man. 
Judgment upon ourselves will be much more likely to 
be correct, if we examine our hidden life than if we 
measure ourselves by that which is seen of men. 

THE HUNTING DOG. 

" A good dog hunts by sight as long as he can see his game ; but 
when that is lost he hunts by scent. ' ' 

So in prayer we are to pursue the blessing while we 
are encouraged to seek it, but we are not to cease when 



PURITAX'S GARDEN. 173 

the likelihood of success is gone. We must hunt by 
a spiritual scent when sight quite fails us. The odor of 
the promise must direct our way when the mercy is 
numbered with the '' things not seen as yet." It would 
be a sad degeneration if faith became nothing better 
than a conclusion drawn from preponderating probabil- 
ities : we must hope against hope, and believe in the 
truth of the promise against all likelihood of its perform- 
ance, or we know nothing of the crown and glory of 
faith. 

for a quick nostril, that we may follow after those 
heavenly things which the eye seeth not and the ear 
heareth not. These will repay the chase ; whereas the 
tilings seen of the eye turn out, when overtaken, to be 
mere gaudy butterflies which are spoiled in the act of 
grasping them. 

THE DWAEF. 

** A child, if he should continue a child, and an infant still, would 
be a monster. " 

However pleased the parents had been with the little 
one when it was a babe, they would soon be deeply 
distressed if year after year it still remained a tiny thing : 
indeed, they would consider it a great calamity to be 
the parents of a dwarf. What, then, shall we say of 
those in our churches who never grow ? They are no 
forwarder after fifty years ! Infants at sixty years of 
a2:e ! 

1 have in my house a singular picture which is made 
up of the portraits of my sons, taken on their birthdays 
for twenty-one years. They begin in the perambulator, 
and end as fuU-gro^vn young men. This is interesting 
and according to nature ; but, alas, I have spiritual 
children whom I wheeled about in the perambulator of 
tender comfort twenty years ago, and they are babies 



174 FLOWERS FROM A 

still, needing as much care as ev^er, and are as little able 
to run alone. Ah me, that so many who ought to be 
warriors are weaklings, that those who should be men of 
six feet high are so stunted as to be mere Tom Thumbs 
in grace. 

O for grace to grow in grace, and especially in the 
knowledge of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. God 
save us from a life which does not grow, and from a 
growth which is not healthy. 

WHETTING THE SCYTHE. 
*' CertaiDly the best of our hours should be taken up about the 
best business, and not in recreations. Those are to be blamed who 
as soon as they rise think about amusements, knit pleasure to 
pleasure, and wear away the scythe in whetting, not in working." 

This is a specially wise hint. Doubtless many occupy 
the chief of their thoughts upon mere sport and pastime, 
and wear out their minds by anxiously considering that 
which can only be allowable as a relief from anxious 
consideration. To expend more pains upon their pleas- 
ures than upon their duties is the mark of ungodly men, 
and the sign of folly. That which should be a rest from 
thought is made to be the theme of thought, and so a 
second wear and tear is created by the very process 
which ought to have prevented it : the scythe is not 
only worn away by its cutting, but by its whetting. 

Christian man, remember this. Let not allowable 
diversions become occasions for transgression. This they 
will be if they cause waste of time ; for in such a case 
you will be reported to your Master as a steward who 
has wasted his goods. Nor will you be blameless if 
your recreations weary the brain and heart, and cause a 
new and unremunerative expenditure of force. Above 
all, you will be greatly censurable if there is the slightest 
tinge of sin about the amusement : ^' Abstain from all 



puritan's garden. 175 

appearance of evil." ''Happy is he that condemneth 
not liimself in that which he alloweth." 

SHIP BUILDING. 
*' He that buildeth a ship doth not make his work of such a sort 
that it may avoid all waves and billows, that is impossible ; but he so 
builds it that it may be tight and stanch, and able to endure all 
weathers.*' 

Even so the very frame and construction of the spirit- 
ual life were formed with a view to . trials. Jerusalem 
was walled because enemies were expected ; David built 
towers and armories because he looked for war ; and 
what mean the graces of faith and patience unless afflic- 
tion is to be reckoned on ? Our glorious Leader would 
never have armed and armored all his followers if there 
had not been allotted to them a wrestling with princi- 
paHties and powers. See how Paul, in the same chapter 
in which he tells us of the panoply of God, reminds 
us of the adversaries whom we shall surely encounter. 

Has the Lord made thee, my brother, to be strong in 
faith and brave in heart ? Then be not surprised if thy 
stout ship is sent to traverse stormy seas. God doth not 
throw away strength by putting it where it wdll never 
be needed. Storms will surely come where grace is 
given to bear them, and through these storms grace will 
develop into glory. 

ONE BIRD SETTING THE OTHERS CHIRPING. 

" It is of advantage to others when we use vocal prayer, for it 
quickens them to the same exercise, as one bird setteth all the rest a 
chirping." 

Often one who has been in the spirit of prayer has 
stirred his friend out of a cold and lifeless frame, and 
set him all on a glow. Yea, and a whole company of 
believers have been roused to hearty devotion by the 
fervor of one man. 



176 FLOWERS FROM A 

The simile used by our author is very beautiful. Ere 
the sun has risen, one bird awakes, and, with a clear 
tuneful note, calls to his mate. Whereupon another 
follows in the same manner, and a rivahy begins between 
the first two songsters. These bestir birds of every wing, 
and in a few minutes the whole grove is vocal, the air is 
full of music, and the sun rejoices to arise amid a concert 
of happy minstrels. Earth has nothing sweeter than its 
spring sonnets, which make that season of the year like 
the first creation, when the morning stars sang together 
and the sons of God shouted for joy. Blessed is the 
bird which thus leads the choir, and happy is that pray- 
ing or praising man whose holy expressions awaken his 
fellows to the like sacred exercise. It is well worth 
while to shake off natural timidity, w^hich would make a 
good man to be as though he were dumb, and deprive 
him of half of his usefulness. To pray in private is 
essential, but to be able to pray in public is profitable. 
We are not to live unto ourselves in anything, and cer- 
tainly not in those matters which are the crown and 
glory of our highest life : therein it is well to edify 
saints as well as to benefit ourselves. 

Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show 
forth thy praise. 

THE ROMAN SENATE AND CHRIST. 
" The story goeth, that the Roman Senate, hearing of the miracles 
in Judea, decreed divine worship to Christ ; but Tiberius the emperor 
crossed it, when he heard that he would be worshipped alone." 

There is the edge of the controversy between Christ 
and the world. The Christian religion interferes with 
no man's liberty, but leaves every conscience free and 
accountable only to God ; and yet it has no tolerance for 
false doctrine, and enters upon no compact or truce with 
error. It does not claim to be one form of truth which 



PUR1TA2!T'S GAKDE2H". . 177 

exists side by side with a dozen others, but it reveals 
Christ as ''the truth." We do not beheve in many 
ways to heaven, for we know that there is only one way, 
and we do not acknowledge two foundations for faith, for 
we know Christ to be the one and only foundation, and 
we dare not say otherwise. Christ is not one among 
many Saviours, he is the only Redeeemer of men. The 
popular fiction of " comparative religions" is a delusion ; 
there is but one truth, and that which does not agree 
with it is a lie. 

In my heart, great Lord, many lords have had dominion 
aforetime, but now thy name alone shall bear rule over 
my nature. Let me never insult thee by enduring a 
rival ; let me nev^er ruin myself by dividing my allegiance. 

LOOSE STONES IN THE FOUNDATION. 
** It is dangerous when foundation-stones lie loose." 

Indeed it is. Never was this danger greater. Men 
are denying the full inspiration of the Bible, frittering 
away the atonement, carping at justification by faith, and 
questioning the proper deity of our blessed Lord. It is 
the work of the Holy Spirit to establish, ground, and 
settle his people in» foundation truths, and there is reason 
to fear from the dubious preaching of certain " intellect- 
ual" persons that they have little or no acquaintance 
with his inward teachings. " If the foundations be 
destroyed, what can the righteous do ?" The ungodly 
may triumph, but we weep and lament when we see the 
glorious doctrines of truth assailed by those who, though 
they know it not, are the enemies both of God and man. 
O Lord, visit thy church, and restore a martyr's faith 
among us. Meanwhile we rejoice that '' the foundation 
of God standeth sure." 



178 FLOWER& FROM A 

THE QUEEN CROAVNED WITH THE KING. 

" We are made prophets, priests, and kings : prophets meet to 
declare God's praises, priests fit for holy ministering, kings to reign 
over our corruptions here, and with Christ forever in glory. As the 
queen is crowned with the king, so shall the church reign with 
Christ. '* 

What a joy it is thus to receive our honors in connec- 
tion with our Lord ! " Crowned with the King" — this 
is a vast increase of joy ! It makes our seat in the 
heavenlies the more glorious when we remember that 
we are made to sit there together %oUK Kim. To rise in 
his resurrection, to live because he lives, to be crowned 
in his coronation, and to be glorified with his glory, this 
is a double, yea, a sevenfold bliss. The queen's corona- 
tion with the king is much more joyous to her than if 
she were crowned alone ; for all her husband's honors 
are her delight, and give her, as it were, another corona- 
tion better than her own. 

O Lord, it seems too great a thing that such a worth- 
less, unworthy creature as I am should be glorified at 
all ; but to be with thee and like thee is a greater glory 
than even heaven itself would have been if it could have 
been enjoyed apart from thyself. 

THE CIVET BOX. ^ 

" After the worship of the Lord's Day, and especially after the 
Lord's Supper, we should continue in devotion, and make the whole 
day a post-communion. As civet boxes retain their scent when the 
civet is taken out, so, when the act of visible communion is over, 
our thoughts and discourse and actions should still savor of the 
solemnity. Certainly it is an argument of much weakness to be all 
for flashes and sudden starts." 

This retaining of their perfume by boxes and drawers 
in which sweet scents have been placed is a fragrant 
figure of the abiding nature of grace in a heart wherein 
it has once been stored up. If ordinances yield the 
influence designed by them, their savor will remain in 



^ PURITAl^'S GARDEN. 179 

our lives, and if our conversion be indeed a passing from 
death unto life, the effect of it will be seen as long as 
we dwell among men. 

We cannot come away from real communion with Christ 
without carrying some of the delightful odor of his good 
ointments. Grace will reveal itself by its fragrance if it 
be genuine, and that fragrance will be a perfume of 
everlasting continuance, a sweetness indestructible. It 
should be said of every believer, in his measure, even as 
it is written of his Lord, " All thy garments smell of 
myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, 
whereby they have made thee glad." The hypocrite 
has a temporary perfume, with which he takes care to 
odorize himself when he goes into the outward sanc- 
tuary ; but the true believer is, by grace, made inherent- 
ly fragrant, and the heavenly spices have so thoroughly 
saturated his garments, that they shed their savor abroad 
even when he is engaged in his worldly calling, yea, as 
long as he lives, and wherever he goes. 

Sweet Lord Jesus, do thou so anoint me that I may 
always bear about with me the fragrance of thine infinite 
perfections, and be a savor of life unto life among my 
neighbors. 

BEGGAE W^ITH TEEMBLING HAND. 
** We give a beggar an alms, though he receives it with a trem- 
bling, palsied hand ; and if he lets it fall, we let him stoop for it.'* 

So doth the Lord give even to our weak faith, and in 
his great tenderness permits us afterward to enjoy what 
at first we could not grasp. The trembling hand is part 
of the poor beggar's distress, and the weakness of our 
faith is a part of our spiritual poverty ; therefore it 
moves the divine compassion, and is an argument with 
heavenly pity. As a sin, unbelief grieves the Spirit^ 
but as a weakness, mourned and confessed, it secures his 



180 FLOWERS JFROM A 

help. '' Lord, I believe/' is a confession of faith which 
loses none of its acceptableness when it is followed by 
the prayer, " help thou mine unbelief.'^ 

CYEUS AND THE RIVEE. 
** Cyrus, in Herodotus, going to fight against Scythia, coming to a 
broad river, and not being able to pass over it, cut and divided it 
into divers arms and sluices, and so made it passable for all his 
army. This is the devil's policy ; he laboreth to divide the people 
of God, and separate us into divers sects and factions, that so he 
may easily overcome us." 

This needs no comment. What is needed is that by a 
spirit of brotherly love we promote the unity of all the 
churches, and the peace and concord of that to which we 
belong. May the peace of the church be ^^ as a river." 
Unity is strength. " Divide and conquer" is Satan's 
watchword to his myrmidons ; but Christ teaches us that 
the world will be won when his disciples are one. 

WINDOW^S AND TILES WOETHY OF CAKE. 

" Some say—* fundamentals are few ; believe them, and live well, 
and you are saved.' This is as if a man in building should be only 
careful to lay a good foundation, and care nothing for roof, windows, 
or walls. If a man should untile your house, and tell you the 
foundation and the main buttresses are safe, you would not be 
pleased. Why should you be more careless in spiritual things ?" 

This is well spoken. The least particle of diamond is 
diamond, and the least grain of truth is truth, and there- 
fore to be prized above the rarest gems. That which is 
not essential to salvation may yet be essential to comfort, 
and necessary to our complete spiritual manhood. Our 
Lord threatens those who teach men to disregard the 
least of his commandments that they shall be called the 
least in the kingdom of heaven. It becomes not servants 
to trifle with the smallest commands of a perfect master. 
How can the church ever be a perfect house of God if 
one of the parts, which are '^ fitly framed together," 



puritak's gakdex. 181 

Bhould through our neglect be left out ? No, we must 
receive all the truth, that we may be built up ^^ a holy 
temple in the Lord." Grave errors have been suggested 
and nurtured by what at first appeared to be trifling 
departures from scriptural rule, therefore we ought to 
give earnest heed even to minor precepts. Future ages 
may have to mourn over the defalcations of to-day, un- 
less we are careful to do the building of the Lord's house 
with faithfulness. ^^ 

Lord, make me watchful in little matters, lest I grow 
careless in weightier concerns. Thou didst speak con- 
cerning the pins and cords of the tabernacle, and ordain 
that all should be made to pattern, and by this I perceive 
that thou regardest even the small things of thy service ; 
I pray thee, therefore, give me both clear light, a keen 
eye, and a tender heart, that in all things I may please 
thee. 

FLINT AND STEEL. 

" God's seasons are not at your beck. If the first stroke of the 
flint doth not bring forth the fire, you must strike again. " 

That is to say, God will hear prayer, but he may not 
answer it at the time which we in our own minds have 
appointed ; he will reveal himself to our seeking hearts, 
but not just when and where we have settled in our 
own expectations. Hence the need of perseverance and 
importunity in supplication. In the days of flint and 
steel and brimstone matches we had to strike and strike 
again, dozens of times, before we could get a spark to 
live in the tinder ; and we were thankful enough if we 
succeeded at last. Shall we not be as persevering and 
hopeful as to heav^enly things ? We have more certainty 
of success in this business than we had with our flint and 
steel, for we have God's promise at oar back. Never 
let us despair. God's time for mercy will come ; yea. 



183 FLOWERS from: a 

it lias come, if onr time for believing has arrived. Ask 
in faith, nothing wavering ; but never cease from peti- 
tioning because the king 'delays to reply. Strike the 
steel again. Make the sparks fly and have your tinder 
ready : you will get a light before long. 

CATCHING AT A BOUGH. 
" As a man faUing into a river espieth a botigli of a tree, and 
catches at it with all his might, and as soon as he hath fast hold of 
it he is safe though troubles and fears do not presently vanish out of 
his mind ; so the soul, espying Christ as the only means to save him, 
and reaching out the hand to him, is safe, though it be not presently 
quieted and pacified." 

The soul's grasp of Jesus saves even when it does not 
comfort. If we touch the hem of his garment we are 
healed of our deadly disease, though our heart may still 
be full of trembling. We may be in consternation^ but 
we cannot be under condemnation if we have believed in 
Jesus ; even as the man who has grasped the branch 
may be wetted, but cannot be drowned. Safety is one 
thing, and assurance of it is another. Whether the 
believer in Christ Jesus is able to rejoice in his safety, 
or is still under bondage to fear, the word of the Lord 
standeth true beyond all question — " He that believeth 
in him hath everlasting life.'' 

THE com AND THE PKIKCE. 
" In the Scriptures there is a draught of God, but in Christ there 
is God himself. A coin bears the image of Csesar, but Caesar's son is 
his lively resemblance. Christ is the living Bible." 

We rightly call the Scriptures " The Word of God,'' 
and yet in the deepest and truest sense Christ only is 
''THE WORD." 

What reverence, then, is due to him, and how im- 
portant it is that we get beyond all the outward signs 
and symbols of religion, and even beyond the letter of 



puritan's garden. 183 

Scripture, to the person of the Son of God himself. His 
promise of rest is to those who come to himself — '^ Come 
unto ine^ all ye that labor and are heavy laden ;" for it 
is in himself that the divine power is centred. He tells 
lis, '' He that hath seen me hath seen the Father ;" but 
the eye of the mind has never yet beheld the glory of 
God, or known him in any true sense until it has gazed 
upon Immanuel, God with us; for he alone is '^the 
brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image 
of his person. ' ' 

God is in every covenant blessing, but not as he is in 
Christ, for '^ in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God- 
head bodily." 

A man had better have the prince for a friend than 
possess a thousand images of the king his father upon 
gold and silver ; and so it is a happier thing for us to 
know that Christ is ours than to possess all other bless- 
ings, however much of God there may be about them. 
'^ Christ is all," and he is more than all. To his people 
lie is all in all, for such is God. 

My soul, let this endear Jesus to thee beyond all else, 
and let it make thee urgent and eager to draw very near 
to him. Here lies thy way to God, for God is in him, 
and nowhere else canst thou ever find him. What a 
happy thing for thee that thy God, thy heaven, thy all, 
are treasured up in one so accessible to thee as thy 
Mediator and Friend. 

THE ANGLER AND THE HUNTER. 

** TiU we sin Satan is a parasite ; but when once we are in the 
devil's hands he turns tyrant. As an angler, when the fish hath 
swallowed the bait, discovers himself ; or as a hunter lies out of 
sight till the beast is gotten into the toils, and then he shouts and 
triumphs over his prey, so the evil one lets not his enmity be seen 
till he has deceived his dupe." 

How often have I seen this. A soul tempted by the 



.184 FLOWERS mOM A 

pleasures of sin one day, and driven to despair by re- 
morse for it the next ! Satan first acts as deceive.r and 
then as accuser. While men can be made to suck down 
sin he will make it sweet in their mouths ; but when the 
poison is down he makes it bitter in their bowels. At 
the first he tells them that there is no punishment, and 
by and by that there is no mercy. 

Lord, teach us how to baffle Satan's arts, and rescue 
men from his wiles. No mere human wisdom can 
match his subtlety ; instruct us, then, by thy Spirit that 
We may be as wise to win souls as he is crafty to destroy 
them. 

WEDGES. 
** WTien a man cleaves a block he first pierces it with small wedges, 
and then with greater ; and so doth the devil make entrance into the 
soul by degrees. Judas first purloineth and stealeth out of the bag ; 
then censureth Christ as profusely lavishing. What needs this 
waste ? This was not only a check to the woman, but to Christ him- 
self. Lastly, upon Christ's rebuke he hates him, and then betrays 
him to his enemies." 

There is no dealing with the devil except at arm's 
length. Those little wedges of his are terribly insinuat- 
ing because they are so little. Keep them out, or worse 
Vvdll follow. Occasional glasses lead on to drunken 
orgies ; occasional theatre-going grows into wantonness 
and chambering ; trifling pilfering soon grows to down- 
right theft ; secret backslidings end in public abomina- 
tions. The egg of all mischief is as small as a mustard 
seed. It is with the transgressor as with the falling 
stone, the further he falls the faster he falls. Again we 
say — beware of the httle wedges, for they are in crafty 
hands, and our utter destruction may be compassed by 
them. Even iron safes have been forced when little 
wedges have made room for the burglar's lever. Take 
heed of the plea, '^ Is it not a little one ?" 



PURITA:N^^S GARDEi^. 185 

O my Saviour, let me not fall by little and little, or 
think myself able to bear the indulgence of any known 
sin because it seems so insignificant. Keep me from 
sinful beginnings, lest they lead me on to sorrowful 
endings. 

THE EIDEE AND THE FOOTMAN. 
** "We expect he should come sooner that rideth on horseback than 
he that travelleth on foot." 

Privileges have their responsibilities. To whom much 
is given, of him much shall be required. Five talents 
must bring in more interest than one, or their possessor 
will prove to be a slothful servant. 

How is it with us ? Have we more talents than 
others ? Then our Master asks, " What do ye more than 
others?" 

LIGHT CARKIED BY A BLACK MAN. 
* * A torch giveth never the less light though carried by a blacka- 
moor ; nor is the gospel less efficacious because managed by carnal 
instruments." 

It is not God's will that any one who is himself living 
in sin should proclaim the gospel, or be an oflScer in his 
church, and yet when it so happens, the gospel itself is 
still a divine light, and those w^ho see it live thereby. 
The faults of the preacher are very grievous ; but if the 
truth of God be dehvered by him, we should not be so 
foolish as to reject the doctrine, though we censure the 
man. The church itself may be like Laodicea, in an ill 
state ; but it is not for us to quarrel with the Scriptures 
on that account. Young persons are greatly stumbled 
when they hear of the fall of an eminent professor, and 
yet they need not be surprised, for there have been 
hypocrites in all ages. We must not rest our faith upon 
men nor believe in God because we have confidence in a 
minister ; that would be a sorry reason for faith, and 



186 FLOWERS FROM A 

would vitiate its nature. No, if the torcli-bearer turns 
black as soot we will still rejoice in the light. 

Fit is it, however, that none but gracious men should 
touch the work of the Lord ; ail others are intruders. 
" Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord." " To 
the wicked God saith, "What hast thou to do to declare 

my statutes ?" 

THE EIVER LOSING DEPTH. 
'' Salvian observeth that the church, like a river, loseth in depth 
what it gaineth in breadth." 

Yet Salvian could not prove that it needs to do so. It 
is to be feared that the case is occurring even now ; but 
it ought not so to be. When the knowledge of the Lord 
shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, we shall 
look for depth as well as breadth, or the figure will not 
be complete. The New Jerusalem lieth four square, 
and the length is as large as the breadth ; " the length 
and the breadth and the height of it are equal." 

THE WOODEN LEG. 
' * Wicked men may supply the needs of an office, as Judas for a 
while did duty as an apostle. A wooden leg may be a stay to the 
body, though it be not a true member." 

Quaint, but true. It is to be feared that our churches 
have many wooden legs, in the form of lifeless ministers, 
graceless deacons, and unregenerate elders. The body 
may move with these, but her walk must be limping, 
painful, slow, and ungainly. As for the wooden limb 
itself, its end is to be burned. It will be a fearful thing 
to turn out to be a dead member of a living body — a 
false arm, or a glass eye. Such shams can never be part 
of the body of Christ. O for living, loving, lasting 
union with the living Head ! 

THE MISFIT. 
** A garment too short will not cover our nakedness, and a garment 
too long will be a dirty rag to trip up our heels. God is bound in 



PURITAN^S GARDEN". 187 

covenant only to do what is convenient for ns, and that we must 
leave to Grod to judge. The sheep must not choose the pastures, but 
the shepherd," 

O for contentment ! " Too mucli," we see by tlie 
figure used above, has its inconveniences as well as '' too 
little. " Enough is the word, and God knows best when 
we are at that point. We see around us those who are 
much hindered in holy living by the fact of their being 
wealthy, and yet perhaps we are pining to run in their 
silken sack. Others we see who are impeded by their 
poverty, and yet this need not be, for some of the Lord's 
poor are far ahead of other runners, and keep up all the 
better pace because they have so little to carry. 

Come, my heart, be satisfied. It should be no hard 
task to thee to be content, seeing all things are thine, 
and thy Father acts as thy steward, and deals out daily 
*' things convenient" for thee. The garment which he 
puts around thee fits thee in every part ; blessed art thou 
if thou canst wear it becomingly and praise him for it. 

TIMBER. SHEEP. WAX, 
*' We warp in the sunshine, a shower does us good. The dog is 
let loose that the sheep may rtin together. A piece of wax, when it 
is broken, put it together never so often, it wiU not close ; but put 
it into the candle and the ends will stick close together." 

Thus by three figures we see the danger of prosperity 
and the benefit of affliction. 

The first metaphor is impressive. Timber warps if 
it be exposed to noontide heat, and men are all too apt 
to be influenced one way or another by success. Poor 
fools that we are, we cannot, while on earth, bear too 
much happiness. It is our tendency to warping which 
often necessitates our weeping. The Lord will sooner 
damp us with showers of sorrow than allow us to be 
spoiled. 



188 FLOWERS FROM A 

The dog to fetch back the wandering sheep is a well- 
known illustration. Some need to feel the dog's teeth 
before they will mind him, and God has dogs which will 
bite if barking is not enough. Our good Shepherd will 
sooner worry ns with the dog of afiiiction than leave us 
to the wolf of apostasy. 

The broken stick of wax prettily shows how we need 
suffering if we are to be set right after the fractures of 
temptation. How well the broken heart of a sinner 
unites with the heart of the suffering Saviour ! There 
must be melting, or there will not be union. Blessed 
be God for any experience by which he unites our heart 
to fear his name. 

THE TKAIL OF A SNAIL. 

" As a snail leavetli a frothy slime npoii the fairest flowers, so do 
unthankful persons leave their own slime upon the rich mercies of 
God vouchsafed to them." 

Pining for things denied them, they undervalue favors 
bestowed upon them. Like Israel in the wilderness, if 
they cannot have flesh to feed their lusts they call even 
angels' food '^ight bread.'' By feasting to the full, 
and wasting their substance in luxury, many persons do 
more mischief with the bounties of providence than slugs 
and snails can do among the plants in a garden. Yet, 
when their festivals are over, or even while their wine is 
yet on the board, they grumble and murmur as if they 
were more hardly done by than any other men upon the 
face of the earth : thus a second time they besmear 
God's goodness by their thankless conduct. They abuse 
the gift and then abuse the Giver. They climb the 
wall, and spurn the ladder by which they climbed ; they 
drink, and then defile the spring ; they rise upward to 
the sky, and then, like clouds, obscure the heavens. 

My God, grant that I may never abuse thy gifts, nor 



PUSITAX'S GARDE>y\ 189 

even dare to use them without gratefully praising thee 
for them. Moses warned the Jews that the lizard, the 
snail, and the mole are unclean, and I would not be like 
to any one of them. David said concerning the wicked, 
^^ As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass 
away." God forbid that I should come under that 
curse, and so pour out my life in complaining, leaving 
behind me a trail of repining wherever I may move. 

THE WOLF AND THE PICTUEE OF A SHEEP. 

*' A wolf doth not worry a painted sheep, nor does the world 
annoy a mere professor. But when any are holy indeed, and of a 
strict innocency, they are hated, and contradicted, and spoken 
against." 

No one fights with a statue, but living soldiers are 
often in the wars : living Christians are sure to be 
assailed in one way or another. Let us therefore for 
once gather figs of thistles, and find comfortable fruit 
upon the thorns and briers of persecution. The world is 
no fool ; it would not be so fierce against us if it did 
not see something about us contrary to itself ; its enmity 
therefore is part evidence that we are the children of 
God. When we see wolves worrying the picture of a 
sheep we shall expect to see the ungodly scoffing at those 
who are like them. '^ If ye were of the world, the 
world would love his own." 

SIVIALL VESSELS AND A GKEAT FOUNTAIN. 
'* Our communion with Christ is not now full. There is a defect 
both in the pipe and in the Tessel ; we cannot contain aU that he 
is able to give out, nor can the means convey it all to us. The 
means are as narrow conduits from the fountain, or as creeks from 
the sea. The fountain could send forth more water, but the pipe or 
conduit can convey no more." 

Yet the means of grace could convey much more than 
we are usually ready to receive, and Dr. Manton must 
not blame the pipe so much as the poor, cracked earthen 



100 FLOWERS FROM A 

vessel, so narrow at the mouth, and so stinted in every 
direction. Ministries and ordinances would be far more 
profitable if we were prepared to be profited. At the 
same time, if we dwell where outward privileges are 
scanty, we need not therefore be famished. Our Lord 
can pour his grace into us altogether apart from the 
means : we are not straitened in him — the straitness is 
in ourselves alone. We are shallow and narrow creeks, 
and how can the great sea of divine love pour its fulness 
into us ? O Lord, enlarge our hearts till we shall be 
" filled with all the fulness of God.'' 

TRAVELLING MUCH MOKE DIFFICULT THAN LOOKING AT 

MAPS. 
*' When we look at towns on a map, we think the way to them 
easy, as if our foot were as nimble as our thoughts ; but we are soon 
discouraged and tired, when we meet with dangerous and craggy 
passages, and come to learn the diif erence between glancing at the 
way and serious endeavors to traverse it. So in matters of religion, 
he that endeavors to bring Christ and his soul together, before he 
hath done, will be forced to sit down and cry, Lord, help me !" 

He means that faith is no such child's play as some 
dream : it appears easy enough, and yet when the 
awakened soul comes to seek the Lord in earnest, it 
finds out its own insuJBSciency. It is well when this 
discovery comes speedily, and is clearly made, so that 
the heart early in the morning casts itself on God for 
everything, and does not waste the day in searching for 
water in its own broken cisterns. We need as much to 
look to Christ /br faith as hy faith. 

Our author also sets forth the difference between 
theory and experience. Grace in the book is one thing, 
and grace in the heart is another. To build on paper by 
drawing elaborate plans has been the amusement of many 
a fool who could not lay one brick upon another. We 
must beware of resting in mere words and confiding in 



puettak's GARDE]^. 191 

head knowledge, and we mnst come to solid, substantial 

facts. A man may dream that he is among the stars, 

and may suddenly wake to find that he has battered his 

face against the post of his bed : dreaming, doting, and 

theorizing are poor substitutes for " real" experience of 

divine tilings. 

KNOCKING THE BAKEEL. 

" By knocking npon the vessel we see whether it be full or empty, 
cracked or sound ; so by the knocks of providence given us in afflic- 
tion we are discovered.' ' 

The figure may be varied by remembering the manner 
in which wheels are 'tapped with a hammer on the rail- 
way^ that their soundness may be tested. Not only does 
affliction thus try our characters, but prosperity does the 
same. Approbation is a testing blow to many a man ; 
for he who could have borne opposition gallantly too 
often yields at the touch of praise, and is found to be 
empty, vain, and devoid of stability. 

When we are afflicted it is wise to watch the result 
upon ourselves. Can our faith bear trial, or is it a mere 
counterfeit ? Do we love a taking as well as a giving 
God ? Do we cleave to Christ when under a cloud, or 
is our religion only a fair-weather amusement ? Heart- 
searching may thus be greatly helped, and we shall run 
less danger of self-deception. It will be an awful thing 
/ to be mere empty barrels, and never know it till death 
deals a blow with his rod of iron, and we answer to it 
with hollow sounds of despair. 

THE BKOOK AND THE EIVER. 

** A traveUer may easily pass over the head of a brook ; but when 
he goeth down, thinking to find it narrower, it is so broad that he 
cannot pass at aU. Every delay brings on a new degree of hardness 
of heart on our part, and a new desertion on God's part." 

Never will his sin be less powerful than at this 
moment, though the ungodly man should wait for fifty 



192 FLOWERS PROM A 

years. The domination of evil is ever growing, never 
waning. Manton well points out the two dangers of 
delay — our own hardening, and the Holy Spirit's with- 
drawal. Either of these may well cause fear and trem- 
bling in seM-confident hearts. 

To-day let the anxious soul pass the brook by God's 
gracious help ; to-morrow the stream will be hard to 
ford, and anon the torrent will sweep all before it. 
Tarry not, O thou who wouldst be saved. 

COMMEKCE. 
" Divers cotintries have divers commodities, and one needeth what 
another prodnceth ; one abonndeth with wines, some have spices, 
others have skins, and commodities of other kinds ; and aU this is so 
ordered that by commerce and traffic there might be society main- 
tained among mankind. ' So God in his chnrch hath given to one 
gifts, to another graces, to each one somewhat which is not possessed 
by his feUow, to maintain a holy society and spiritual commerce 
among themselves." 

Brethren who will not commune with one another 
upon spiritual subjects are as traders who shut up their 
shops and \^11 neither buy nor sell. Too wise to be 
taught, and too idle to teach, they live isolated lives, 
like the man in the iron mask, without joy to themselves 
or benefit to others. 

We shall all be beggars together if we shut ourselves 
up like hermits, and cry " every man for himself." We 
have seen a little of this '' protection" in spiritual goods, 
and we witness that it tendeth to poverty. Fellowship 
is pleasant, mutual help is profitable ; let us not look 
every man on his own things, but every man also on 
the things of others. Time was v/lien they that feared 
the Lord spake often one to another, and that was the 
best of times. Let us hold mutual discourse upon our 
experiences, make pleasant exchange of our knowledge, 
and aid each other by our gifts. Among idolaters we 



puritan's GARDEN". 193 

read that ^^ the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and 
he that smoothed with the hammer him that smote the 
anvil," and surely sncli co-operation ought to be even 
more evident among the servants of the true God. We 
wish it could be said of all church work, " They helped 
every one his neighbor, and every one said to his brother, 
' Be of good. courage.' " When shall all rivalry cease, 
and every Christian seek to advance the interests of his 
brethren? We want no more ^^ exclusive brethren," 
whoever they may be ; but we need communicating 
brethren, whose fellowship is with the Father, and with 
the Son, and with all the saints. 

THE BIED AFKAID OF THE SCAEECBOW. 
" If an nnregenerate man should leave off sin under fear of death 
or heU, it would not be out of hatred to sin, but out of the fear of 
the punishment, as the bird is kept from the bait by the scarecrow." 

Much of this scarecrow work is going on around us, 
and if it prevents the stealing of the wheat we may be 
glad of it. Still, it is a poor state of things for a man to 
refrain from sin merely and only because he is afraid of 
smarting for it. If the heart wouldy but the hand dares 
not^ the person will be judged by what he desires rather 
than by his actions. We are before God what in our 
hearts we wish to be. The raven is not a dove so long 
as it longs for carrion, even though it may sit in a cage, 
and act like the gentlest of birds. Christ did not come 
to scare us from sin, but to save us from it. Even if 
there were no hell, true saints would hate sin, and strive 
after holiness. 

ON THE TKEE AND IN THE STILL. 

** The rose is not so sweet on the tree as in the still.** 

Yes, Mr. Manton, it is just as sweet, but it does not 
so fully pour forth its perfume. Thanks to the fire, the 
fragrance cannot lie latent when the leaves are distilled. 



194 FLOWERS FROM A . 

Thus is it with the believing soul under adversity, the 
heart then yields up to God the sweetness which else 
had laid dormant. 

Some of us owe more than we can tell to what Manton 
calls ^'the still." The furnace, the anvil, and the 
hammer have been the making of our lives under the 
guiding wdsdom of the great Worker's hand. We can- 
not enjoy the process while we undergo it ; but the 
results are such that we are ready to fall in Iqvc w^ith 
suffering. O rose, were it not for the still, thine essence 
had not made fragrant the robes of queens ; but now art 
thou in king's palaces, and a drop of thy soul's inmost 
ichor is of more worth than gold. Even so, we had 
never been so near our Lord, the Prince Immanuel, had 
we not, after our measure, been made to drink of his 
cup, and to be baptized with his baptism. 

We bless thee, O Lord, for all that thou doest, whether 

thou load us with favor till we are as flowers gemmed 

with dew, or pluck away our beauty, and sever us from 

our delights till we are as roses cut off and cast into the 

still. All that thou doest is good, and for all thou shalt 

be extolled. 

CALLING OFF THE DOG. 

*' A stranger cannot call off a dog from the flock, but the shepherd 
can do so with a word ; so the Lord can easity rebuke Satan when 
he finds him most violent." 

Lord, when I am worried by my great enemy, call 
him off, I pray thee. Let me hear a voice saying, " The 
Lord rebuke thee, O Satan ; even the Lord that hath, 
chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee." By thine election of 
me, rebuke him, T pray thee, and deliver me from the 
power of the dog. 

HEWING STONES AND PEUNING VINES. 

*' There is more squaring, and hewing, and hacking used about a 
stone that is to be set in a stately palace than that which is placed 



puritan's garden. 195 

in an ordinary building ; and the vine is pruned when the bramble 
is not looked after, but let alone to grow to its full length." 

Tlus should reconcile belie v^ers to their chastisements. 
It is a well-worn figure ; but it is well put. Brambles 
certainly have a fine time of it, and grow after their own 
pleasure. We have seen their long shoots reaching far 
and wide, and no knife has threatened them as they 
luxuriated upon the commons and waste lands. The 
poor vine is cut down so closely that little remains of it 
but bare stems. Yet, when clearing-time comes, and the 
brambles are heaped for their burning, who would not 
rather be the vine ? 

Ah, Lord ! Let me never sigh for ease, but always 
seek for usefulness. Square me till I am fit for a place 
in thy temple ; prune me till I yield my utmost fruit. I 
know not what this prayer may invoh^e ; but if I did, I 
would pray to be helped to pray it, and I would entreat 
thee to fulfil it to the letter. 

THE SINGEB. 
** In a choir or concert of voices he is commended that sings well. 
Whether he sings the bass, or the mean, or the treble, that is nothing, 
so he singeth his part well ; but he is despised and disallowed that 
sings amiss, whatever voice he useth. Even thus doth God apj)rove, 
accept, and reward his people that serve and glorify him in any 
state, whether it be high or low, rich or poor, eminent or obscure." 

Yes, it is not our rank or estate, but the right using 
of our position which is the point to be thought of — the 
point by which we shall be judged at the last. If called 
in poverty to sing bass, blessed is he who sings so as to 
please the ear of God ; he shall be fully as accepted as 
his neighbor who exalts his voice upon a higher key. 
So long as the music of his life was true to the score of 
duty no man will be censured because his notes were not 
so strong, or high, or many as those of another in the 
company. It is not the loftiness of our place, but the 



196 PLOWERS FROM A 

worthy occupying of it, which will bring acceptance to 
our work before the Lord. 

0^ my great Master and Teacher, help me to remember 
this, and let me be far more anxious to ,sing my part 
correctly than to sit in this seat or that, among the rich 
or the great. 

WAGONS NOT MO\^D BY WIND, NOK SHIPS DEAWN BY 

HORSES. 

" The wise use right means, such as will bring them to their desired 
end. We do not use to draw ships in the sea with horses, nor draw 
wagons with the wind. We must not use contrary means, nor in- 
sufficient means. We cannot go to the bottom of a well that is thirty 
foot deep with a line that is but ten foot." 

Why, then, do men try to win heaven by their own 
merits ? This short line will never reach so far. Wliy 
do they endeavor to save sonls by noise and carnal ex- 
citement instead of crying for the Spirit of God ? What 
is this but refusing to spread the sail for the heavenly 
breeze, and relying npon the tramp of horses, and the 
strength of flesh and blood ? How is it that so many 
look to obtain blessing through ceremonies of man's 
invention ? This is an endeavor to move a mountain by 
dancing before it. 

If the means must be adequate to the end, then noth- 
ing short of the merits of Jesus can cause a sinner to 
enter heaven, and nothing but the power of the Holy 
Ghost can make men new creatures in Christ Jesus. If 
the means must be adapted to the end, then we must have 
mercy to comfort misery, love to rescue lost sinners, 
divine goodness for despairing hearts, and power from 
on high for souls dead in trespasses and sin. 

Next time we hear a man try to convert people by 
fine language, we shall remember Manton's saying, that 
wagons are not moved by wind. 



puritait's garde:n". 197 

THE PRICK OF A PIN AND A HEAVY BLOW. 
*' The prick of a pin maketh a man start, but a heavy blow stun- 
neth him. David, when he cut off the lap of Saul's garment, his 
heart smote him ; but when he fell into adultery and blood, he was 
like one in a swoon." 

Tims it is that a slight departure from right will startle 
the unsophisticated conscience, while a gross sin may 
stun it into a horrible insensibility. Much serious 
thought is suggested by this most striking simile. 
Amono; other thino^s it teaches us to dread a benumbed 
or swooning conscience, for it may have been brought 
into that condition by a terrible sin. Better far to be 
morbidly sensitive, and condemn one's self needlessly, 
than to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 
A quick and tender conscience is among the best gifts of 
grace ; let those who have it guard its delicacy with 
jealous care. 

Lord, let my conscience be as tender as the apple of 
my eye. As well-balanced scales are tremulous at the 
fall of a single grain of dust, so let the minutest sin set 
me on the move. Never, I beseech thee, permit me to 
become heavy with the intoxication caused by a deep 
draught of evil: ''Keep back thy servant also from 
presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over 
me. " 

TO DIE FIGHTING. 

*' Sometimes God letteth his people alone till their latter days, 
and their season of fighting cometh not till they are ready to go out 
of the world, that they may die fighting and be crowned in the field. 
But first or last the cross cometh, and there is a time to exercise our 
faith and patience before we inherit the promises." 

It has been observed that many of those who begin 
their spiritual career with severe mental conflicts are 
afterward filled with peace, and are left unmolested for 
years. Others have their battle in middle life, and find 



198 FLOWERS FROM A 

tlie heat of their noontide sun to be their severest trial ; 
while a third class suffer, as our author tells us, at the 
very close of their pilgrimage. No rule can be laid 
down as to the varied experiences of the saints ; but we 
suspect that few make the voyage to heaven over a per- 
petually glassy sea ; the vast majority, at some time or 
other, are " tossed with tempest and not comforted. '' 

What if we also must die fighting ? We shall fall 
amid the shouts of victory. How surprising will heaven 
be to us ! One moment almost wrecked, and the next 
in "the Fair Havens." Wrestling one moment, and 
resting the next wdth the crown about our brows ! ^^ At 
eventide it shall be light.'' 

TRADING OK A IVIAN'S WORD. 
*' If a man promise, they reckon much of that ; they can tarry 
apon man's security, but count God's word nothing worth. They 
3an trade with a factor beyond seas, and trust all their estate in a 
nan's hands whom they have never seen ; and yet the word of the 
nfallible God is of little regard and respect with them, even then 
jvhen he is willing to give an earnest of the promised good." 

It is noteworthy that in ordinary life small matters of 
business are transacted by sight, and articles valued by 
pence are paid for over the counter : for larger things we 
yive checks which are really nothing but pieces of paper 
nade valuable by a man's name ; and in the heaviest 
transactions of all, millions change from hand to hand 
tvithout a coin being seen, the whole depending upon 
:lie honor and worth of those who sign their hands. 
W^hat then ? shall not the Lord be trusted ? Ay, with 
)ur whole being and destin3\ It ought to be the most 
latural thing in all the world to trust God ; and to those 
w\\o dwell near him it is so. Where should we trust but 
n him who has all power and truth and love within 
limself ? We commit ourselves into the hands of our 



puritan's gardejs". 199 

faithfal Creator and feel ourselves secure. ^' Blessed is 
he that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord 

is." 

THE CHILD AND THE FATHEB. 

" A young child does not know his father's strength. We are 
poor, weak creatures, and cannot conceive fully of the perfections of 
God ; we know not what the power of God can do for us.'* 

It would be the height of absurdity for the child to 
think and speak of its father as if he were a child too, 
and could do no more than the boy's playmates. Yet 
this is the common error of the children of God. We 
do not raise our thoughts to a godlike level. We think 
our own thoughts of God, and straightway we doubt. 
Oh, that we rose to God's thoughts, and tried to con- 
ceive how IIE looks upon matters ! Surely he taketh 
up the isles as a very httle thing, and the mountains he 
weighs in scales. If our troubles were set in the light 
of God's power, and love, and faithfulness, and wisdom, 
they would become to us small burdens : why should we 
not so regard them ? Why nmst we reckon as children ? 
Why not compute our load by our Father's measure- 
ment, and then see how easily it will be carried ? 
Estimating divine strength by human standards is one of 
the childish things which we must put away. 

O Lord, forgive me for having often limited the Holy 
One of Israel, and teach me never again to judge after 
the flesh. 

THE GILDED POTSHERD. 
** A gilded potsherd may shine till it cometh to scouring, then 
the varnish is speedily worn off." 

May this never be my character, but may I be solid 
gold, which will bear not only rubbing but burning. 
Alas, when I am impatient under affliction, or cowardly 
under persecution, or weary in holy service, have I not 
good reason to suspect myseK ? It may be that my 



200 FLOWERS FROM A 

religion is only, a mere surface film, and not part and 

parcel of my being ; and if so, it will go ill with me. 

I shall ere-long be like a broken vessel, cast away upon 

the dunghill of everlasting contempt. 

O Lord, of thy mercy save me from being a mere 

piece of gilded clay, by giving me truth in the inward 

parts. 

HOLDING ON WITH THE TEETH. 

'' He who is spoken of in the story first holds the boat with his 
right hand, and that being cut off, he takes hold with his left hand, 
and when that is cut off, he fastens on with his teeth. So when one 
help is cut off, and then another, yet faith doth fasten upon God as 
long as it hath his word to fasten on. When God makes breach after 
breach, then to depend upon him is faith indeed." 

Well may we maintain onr hold upon our God, come 
what may ; for who else is fit to be our soul's holdfast ? 
With us it must be Christ or nothing, for other refuge 
there is none. Trying times make us desperately re- 
solved to trust in the Lord at all hazards. A sense of 
sin snatches away one promise, and another ; and then 
we betake ourselves to such words of grace as were 
expressly given to the most unworthy : there we resolve 
to perish, if perish we must. Our grasp at such times 
does not embrace much of the truth, but it is intense, 
and takes fast hold on what it has reached. We cannot, 
we will not, let go the Saviour. Like Joab, we will die 
at the horns of the altar, if we must die. He who, like 
the man in the story, has lost both his hands and yet 
holds by his teeth, is safe enough : God will never leav6 
such a man to drown. Let us refuse to despair, or even 
to despond ; since there is no just cause for distress 
while we can truly say, " Though he slay me, yet will I 

trust in him." 

GONE AT THE BOOT. 
*' As when the root of a tree perisheth, the leaves keep green for a 
while, but within a while they wither and fall off ; so love is the 



puritak's GARDEiq-. 201 

root and heart of all other duties, and when that decayeth, other 
things decay with it." 

What would the virtues be if they could remain with- 
out love ? A sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. 
But, as a rule, they do not long remain. First one 
drops off and then another, like falling leaves ; and by 
and by the man is as a bare branch, only fit to be cut 
down and cast into the fire. Some, who once professed 
great things, have now hardly enough rags of morality 
left decently to go to hell in, and all because they were 
without true love, and therefore were rotten at the core. 

Evil in the heart is a deadly wound, but it is usually 
unperceived till it has done its work. No axe has been 
lifted against the man's morals, no great strokes liav^e 
gashed his visible character, and yet the end has been 
certain, the ruin has been complete : the spiritual life-sap 
ceased to flow, the branch of usefulness withered, and at 
last the tree fell over, to lie prone among the spoils of 
death. We have seen it — seen it so often, that our mxost 
solemn warnings are reserved for secret declensions. 
There is something nobler in falling by the woodman's 
strokes than in perishing by a little worm at the root. 
The meanness of decaying into corruption, while stand- 
ing in the midst of a church, is awful. 

Lord, have mercy upon us, and keep us from this 

evil. Amen. 

CHESSIMEN IN THE BAG. 

" As chessmen are all thrown into the bag together, so in the grave 
there is no distinction ; skulls wear no wreaths, and corpses carry no 
marks of honor." 

The bishop and the knight tumble into the box with 
the pawns, and the king and the queen fare no better. 
Death is a terrible leveller. It is a pity that some men 
carry their heads so high above their fellows all the day, 
for they will have to sleep at night in the same bed of 



203 FLOWERS FROM A 

clay with those whom they despise. With uncouth verse 
the poet tells the like story : 

*' Beauty, and strength, and wit, and wealth, and power, 
Have their short flourishing hour ; 
And love to see themselves and smile, 
And joy in their pre-eminence awhile. 
Ev'n so in the same land, 
Poor weeds, rich corn, gay flowers together stand : 
Alas ! death mows down all with an impartial hand.*' 

THE BITER BITTEN. 
*' Persecution and oppression are like an iron in the fire, which, 
heated too hot, burneth their fingers that hold it/* 

The nations on the continent which drove out the 
Huguenots were ruined in their trade by the loss of their 
most intelligent and industrious artisans. The Romish 
Church itself became the object of popular hatred by its 
burnings of godly men and women. As Pharaoh was 
glad at last to be rid of the Israelites whom he had 
oppressed, so are persecutors frequently pleased if they 
can sneak out of their persecutions, and wash their hands 
of the business. Playing with edged tools is dangerous 
work, and so is slandering the saints of God. Hammers 
have smitten the patient anvil until they have been worn 
out, and have become more weary of the anvil's endur- 
ance than it was of their blows. 

If any reader is opposing the church of God, let him 
consider what he is doing. He will find it hard to kick 
against the pricks. It will end as did the famous battle 
of the tow with the fire, and the stubble with the flame. 
No honor is to be gained by the conflict, but a blot will 
fall on the persecutor's escutcheon, and his portion shall 
be everlasting contempt. 

THE GIANT AND THE STRAW. 
" A giant striking with a straw cannot put forth his strength 



puritan's garde:n". 203 

with it. So in blessing, no creature nor ordinance can convey all 
the goodness of God to us." 

The best preacher is no better than a straw, in and of 
himself. God shows his omnipotence by accomplishing 
anything with such poor tools as we are. Were he not 
Almighty the infirmities of his servants wonld cause him 
to fail in every design in which he employs them. As it 
is, the fact of our unfitness should greatly enhance our 
sense of his glory. This feebleness on the part of the 
fittest instrument makes it imperative that the Lord's 
own Spirit should work in men's hearts over and above 
his working through the means. New hearts cannot be 
created by mere human voices : these are more qualified 
to call beasts to their fodder than dead souls out of their 
spiritual graves. The Holy Ghost must himself breathe 
life and infuse strength into men ; for his ministers are 
little better than the staff of Elijah, which was laid upon 
the dead child, but neither hearing nor answering re- 
sulted from it. 

The figure of a ^iant using a straw as a cudgel is not, 
however, perfect unless we picture him as able to 
strengthen the straw, till he strikes with it as with a 
hammer and dashes rocks in pieces ; for even thus the 
Lord doth by his feeble servants. Hath he not said, 
'' Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel ; I 
will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the 
Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new 
sharp threshing instrument having teeth : thou shalt 
thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt 
make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the 
wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall 
scatter them : and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and 
shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel ?" 

O thou Almighty One, continue to display thine 



204 FLOWEKS FROM A 

onmipotence by using me, even me, the least and fee- 
blest of all tbine instruments. 

EYEKYTHING ACCOKDING TO ITS NATUKE. 
"A bowl used on the green must be made round before it can run 
round ; a musical instrument must be framed and strung, and put in 
tune before it can make melody ; a tree must first be made good 
before we can expect any good fruit from it." 

Precisely so ; and yet this fact is seldom considered. 
Men are loath to believe that their errors arise out of 
themselves, and that they must themselves be improved 
before their hves will be bettered. Their circumstances 
and associations are blamed, whereas the. fault lies in 
themselves, only they will not believe it. They will not 
admit that there is a bias in the ball itself, but they 
blame the hand which threw it ; the harp -strings they 
will not attend to, but complain of the musician's touch ; 
the tree they will not chide for bearing crabs, it is the 
soil, the season, or the gardener. Most guilty men, 
when their crimes are exposed, blame their ill-luck, and 
not their evil hearts. The world has come to call an 
unchaste woman '^unfortunate;" and this is but one 
open expression of what it secretly believes as to all sin : 
it reckons our transgression to be our misfortune rather 
than our fault. We are poor erring mortals, and are 
more to be pitied than punished — this is the secret creed 
of mankind, and there is a floating tradition abroad that 
we ourselves are right enough, but our position renders 
error unavoidable. 

When will our fellow-men give up this falsehood, and 
perceive that if the vessels leaks, it is because it is 
broken ; and if foul water drips from it, it is because its 
contents are unclean ? Oh, that they would blame them- 
selves, and seek a change of heart ; for nothing short of 
this can set the matter right. 



puritan's gardej^. 205 

ALEXANDER AND APELLES. 
" Alexander wonld be painted by none but Apelles, and carved by 
none but Lysippus. Domitian would not have his statue made but 
in gold or silver. God, the great king, will be served with the best 
of our affections. When we care not what we offer to God, how will 
he accept us ?' ' 

It is but ordinary manners that, when we entertain a 
friend who is greatly our superior, we should at least do 
our best and set before him all that our house and purse 
can afford, with many an apology that it is no better. If 
our queen came to sup with us, we should do our very 
best to please her majesty ; how much more ought we to 
be devoutly intent to offer fit homage to the King of 
kings ! 

O my Lord, teach me to give thee the choicest product 
of my being, and instruct me how to do this in the most 
acceptable manner. May I never play the sloven vritli 
thee. Angels cannot serve thee as thou deservest to be 
served, and shall I think to please thee with hap hazard 
offerings ? If I sing to thee, make me earnest and 
hearty in spirit, and as musical in utterance as my harsh 
voice permits. When I pray, forbid that I should even 
seem to be chill and dull. If I am honored to preach 
thy gospel, may I plead for thee with my whole heart, 
and speak even to a few as zealously as if thousands 
waited for my words. It is meet that the best should 
have the best ; that thou, the most loving of Lords, 
shouldst have my most loyal services. 

TWO WAYS OF PUTTING OUT FIKE. 

*' Fire is quenched by pouring on water or by withdrawing fuel ; 
so tlie Spirit is quenched by living in sin, which is like pouring 
water on a fire ; or by not improving our gifts and graces, which is 
like withdrawing fuel from the hearth." 

Many are found carefully avoiding outward sin, and 
yet they daily neglect the gifts of grace ! What folly I 



206 FLOWERS FROM A 

Will it not come to the same thing in the end with the 
fire upon my hearth whether I pour water on the logs or 
refuse to place fresh brands thereon ? It will die out 
with equal certainty, w^hichever is my mode of pro- 
cedure. So will it be with the fire in my heart. To be 
careless is as dangerous as to be disobedient. I^ot to do 
good is to do evil. Sins concerning neglected grace and 
omitted duty are as mischievous to us as actual wrong- 
doing. 

This is a caution to thousands ; possibly to the reader ; 
certainly to the writer. Oh for grace to attend to the 
state of the inward fires, lest Satan should get an ad- 
vantage over us by our neglect ! Though he may have 
been foiled in every attempt to lead us into active 
rebellion against God, the enemy may yet prevail by 
bringing us into a negative state of indifference and 
apatiiy. There is a passive disobedience, which is ex- 
ceedingly injurious to the soul. The Lord save us from 
this great peril. Let us hear him say, '' Quench not the 
Spirit," and yet again, ^' Stir up the gift which is in 

thee." 

SETTLING THE EXPENDITUEE. 

*^ W^hen a man hath allotted so much for building a house, so long 
as he keeps within the bounds of his allotment he parteth with his 
money freely ; but when that is gone he parts with every penny with 
grudging. It is good to make Christ large allowance at the first so 
that we do not afterward grudge our bargain and contract." 

Good, Dr. Manton ! Yery good ! When some of us 
began with the Lord Jesus we meant to place all that we 
had at his disposal, and ever since it has been a great joy 
to feel that everything we are and have belongs to him. 
What we can give to his cause we regard as children do 
their spending money ; we lay it out with eagerness, and 
wish it were a hundred times as much. No silver slips 
from our hand so joyfully as that which goes to God. 



PURITAN^S GARDEN. 207 

No gold IS SO readily parted with as that which is spent 
upon his cause. Grudging is far from us, when God's 
cause is near to us. Surely, some of our friends started 
with other notions, and put the Lord on short commons 
at the first estimate, for they need to be hardly pressed 
ere they will give to his cause. 

Dear reader, is this so with you ? Do you look a score 
times at every sixpence you spend upon the Lord ? If 
so, revise your contract. Make your Beloved a more 
liberal allowance. ^^ He that soweth sparingly shall 
reap also sparingly." 

THE SHAKING OP THE TKEE. 
" When the tree is soundly shaken, rotten apples fall to the 
ground ; so in great trials guile of spirit will fail." 

This, then, is the purpose of affliction : first, to test 
me^ that I may see how far my supposed graces are real 
and vital. Those which are not sound will soon be lost ; 
only the living and growing graces will remain. Can I 
bear the test ? How have 1 borne it ? 

Secondly, trials relieve me^ for it is a hurtful thing to 
the tree and to its living fruit to be cumbered with 
rottenness, in which may breed noxious worms, which 
when they multiply may come to be devourers of the 
tree's life. We are enriched when we lose fictitious 
virtues. Stripping of filthy rags is an advance toward 
cleanliness, and what are counterfeit graces but mere 
rags, worthy to be torn off and cast into the fire ? 

In the end such a result of affliction also heautijies me * 
for as rotten apples disfigure the tree, so would the mere 
pretence of virtue mar my character in the sight of God 
and good men. It is always better to be openly without 
an attainment than to bear the form of it without in 
reality possessing it. A sham is a shame : an unreal 
virtue is an undoubted vice. 



208 FLOWERS FROM A 

Lord, I thank thee for shaking me, since 1 now per- 
ceive that all this good and much more is designed by 
the process, and is, I trust, in some measure accomplished 
thereby. Oh that thy Holy Spirit may bless my adver- 
sities to this end, and then they will not be adverse to 
me, but the very reverse ! 

THIESTY MEN DKINKING WITHOUT LOOKING. 
" As men in a deep thirst swallow their drink before they know 
the nature of it, or discern the taste of it ; so when we are under a 
great thirst, or tinder great famishment as to spiritual comfort, and 
have great troubles upon us, we take up with comfortable notions of 
Christ and salvation by him, and easily drink in these and other 
truths, catching at them without looking into the grounds or reasons 
of them. Afterward we see the need of care and watchfulness of 
soul, to strengthen our assent and fortify ourselves against those 
doubts of mind which shake us. Then we desire to settle our hearts 
in those supreme truths which in our necessity we accepted without 
discussion." 

This is a very natural figure. See how the thirsty 
man turns up the cup and drinks the contents at a 
draught ; he cares little what it is, so that it quenches 
his raging thirst. " Behold, he drinketh up a river, and 
hasteth not : he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan 
into his mouth." But now, mark him in cooler mo- 
ments ! He is careful of his drinking, lest he be made 
top-heavy, or become nauseated. A simple, receptive 
faith is a fine thing for the speedy removal of the soul's 
thirst ; but if it were not soon qualified by spiritual 
discernment it would lead to credulity, and the man 
would be ready to take in anything which might be set 
before him. The rapid believer would soon become the 
victim of superstition. The more study of the Script- 
ures, and testing of doctrines thereby, the better. 
Careful investigation may save the mind from being 
injured by poisonous teaching, and it will certainly 



PUKITAi^'S GAEDEjq". 209 

endear the truth to ns, and strengthen our confidence 
in it. 

What a draught was that which some of us had at the 
first ! Little enough we knew ; but our enjoyment of 
what we did know was intense ! Lord, thou hast now 
revealed to us the ingredients of tliat divine cup ; grant 
that this may give us a new and deeper joy ; but do not 
allow us to forget the bliss of satisfied thirst because we 
are gifted with fuller knowledge. Such a gain would 
be a loss most serious. 

CHILDREN CAERIED BY THEIR FATHER. 
" We must look upon Christ as a father carrying all his children 
on his back, or lapped up in his garment, through a deep river, 
through which they must needs pass, and, as it were, saying to 
them, Fear not, I will set you safe on land. Look upon Christ 
wading with all his children through the floods of death and hell, 
and saying, Fear not, worm Jacob ; fear not, poor souls, I will set 
you safe.'* 

This is not very poetically put. It is the old Chris- 
topher story in a more common dress. The good Lord 
waits at the river to bear us over, lest the water-floods 
prevail against us. He hath made, and he will bear, 
even he will carry. Here is our safety : He shall gather 
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom. 

O my gracious Lord, be pleased to carry me among 
thine own in life and in death. Yea, set me safe on 
the further short to sing forever of thy saving power. 

GOING TO BED TO EISE AGAIN. 
" A man goes to bed willingly and cheerfully, because he knows he 
shall rise again the next morning, and be renewed in his strength. 
Confidence in the resurrection would make us go to the grave as 
cheerfully as we go to our beds ; it would make us die more comfort- 
ably, and sleep more quietly, in the bosom of the Lord than we rest 
in our own beds." 

This is a choice word ; a flower which smells sweet, 



210 FLOWERS FROM A 

and blossoms in tibe dust. It needs not a line from ns ; 

it only requires the Holy Spirit to enable us to enjoy its 

fragrance. 

THE KING'S LODGING. 

" If an earthly king lie but a night in a house, what care is there 
taken that nothing be offensive to him, but that all things be neat, 
clean, and sweet ? How much more ought you to be careful to get 
and keep your hearts clean, to perform service acceptably to him ; to 
be in the exercise of faith, love, and other graces, that you may 
entertain, as you ought, your heavenly King, who comes to take up 
his continual abode and residence in your hearts !" 

We know a house in which an empress rested for a 
very short time, and the owner henceforth refused to 
admit other inmates. Such is his devotion to his royal 
guest that no one may now sit in her chair or dine at the 
table which she honored. Our verdict is that he makes 
loyalty into absurdity by this conduct ; but if we imitate 
him in this procedure in reference to the Lord Jesus we 
shall be wise. Let our whole being be set apart for 
Jesus, and for Jesus only. We shall not have to shut 
up the house ; for our beloved Lord will inhabit every 
chamber of it, and make it a permanent palace. Let us 
see to it that all be holy, all pure, all devout. 

Help us, O Purifier of the temple, to drive out all 
intruders, and reserve our soul in all the beauty of holi- 
ness for the Blessed and Only Potentate. 

BANKKUPTS. 
** A man is a man, though he be a bankrupt ; he has a being, 
though his well-being is lost." 

So a believer may be truly alive unto God, though by 
his carelessness he has lost all the wealth of the spiritual 
life, and has fallen into soul poverty. Such a man 
should not despair, but with deep humiliation he should 
begin again. A tradesman who has failed will take to 
a humble calhng to earn his* bread, and so should a 



211 



Christian who has broken down in his spiritual estate 
take a lowly position, and with all diligence labor to 
glorify the Lord better than before. 

O my Lord, give me good speed in heavenly business, 
lest I fail, and do an injury to thy cause. But if 1 have 
already made a miscarriage of my life's endeavors, then 
set me on my feet again, for I am still thy child. " 1 
have gone astray like a lost sheep ; seek thy servant ; 
for I do not forget thy commandments." 

INFECTED AIE. 
" The devil is called * the prince of the power of the air.* Infected 
air is drawn into the lungs without pain, and we get a disease before 
we feel it, and so die of a pestilential air." 

Thus doth Satan injure and destroy men's souls by an 
influence so subtle and painless that ere a man is aware 
of it he is inflicted with error or iniquity, and falls a 
victim to the evil. Whole cities have been carried off 
by pests arising from causes which the sick ones never 
suspected, and w^hole classes of men perish from wild 
passions which only the devil could have excited to such 
a pitch. No gas is so impalpable, so penetrating, so all- 
pervading, so deadly, as the influence of Satan. In 
these days it is not polite to speak of him ; it would 
seem that he is so much respected by his own children 
that they cannofc endure to hear a word against him. 
The common doubt of his existence is a proof of his 
powerful cunning ; nothing will serve his turn better 
than for silly men to dream that he is dead or incapaci- 
tated. He laughs in his sleeve, for he is surrounding 
the very men who deny him, and for him they live and 
move. His subtlety slays without leaving the stain of 
blood to alarm other victims : who knoweth the depth 
of his cunning ! Alas, that so many should be so igno- 
rant of his devices as to be unsuspicious of the deadly 



212 FLOWERS FROM A 

influence which he breathes into the moral atmos- 
phere ! 

May the health-giving Spirit of the Lord preserve all 
new-born hearts^ so that they may pass through this 
pestiferous world' unharmed. Surely we may give a 
spiritual as well as a natural meaning to that promise in 
the psalm, " Thou shalt not be afraid for the pestilence 
which walketh in darkness. A thousand shall fall at 
thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but it 
shall not come nigh thee." Doth not the Scripture 
expressly say, " Sin shall not have dominion over you V^ 
Under the protection of this assurance we may pursue 
our callings in the midst of this evil generation, and yet 
remain in vigorous health of soul. God grant it, for 
Jesus^ sake. Amen. 

INFECTION EASY. 

" We easily catch an infectious disease from one another, but no 
man receiveth health from another's company." 

Too true. Evil communications inevitably corrupt 
good manners ; but good communications do not so 
necessarily improve evil manners. We more readily 
learn evil than good, and we are also more forcible in 
communicating sin than virtue. Both as to the giving 
out and the receiving, the aptness lies on the wrong 
side. What a proof of our natural depravity ! "What a 
change must grace w^ork in us before we shall be fully 
like our Lord Jesus, who was incapable of being inocu- 
lated by sin, but abundantly able to communicate good- 
ness ; for healing virtue proceeded from him. When 
shall we become disseminators of holiness by our very 
presence ? When shall we dwell where every companion 
shall minister to our soul's health ? Such a place Jesus 
is preparing for us^ and thither is he bringing his 
redeemed oues. 



GARDEN-. 213 

THE EYEKY-DAY SUIT. 

" Godliness is not a holiday suit, but apparel that is for constant 
wear." 

This illustrates a very important truth. Some people 
seem to fancy that they can put their religion on and 
off as they do their Sunday clothes. Such religion is 
better put off once for all. He who is not godly every 
day is not godly any day. We should aim at serving 
God with all our hearts on the Sabbath, in songs, and 
prayers, and sermons ; but if these are to be acceptable, 
we must also serve God on all the week-days in an 
honest, upright, holy conversation. True Christians will 
endeavor to make their houses temples, their meals 
sacraments, their garments vestments, and all their days 
holy-days. That profession which is merely on the sur- 
face, like the gilt upon the gingerbread at a country fair, 
is too poor a thing to enter heaven. 

Lord, make me to wear thy righteousness within me, 
and then 1 cannot leave it off. Make me like the king's 
daughter, " all glorious within." Weave thy grace into 
the warp and weft of my being. Even on earth let me 
ever be with the Lord. 

WOEKING BY CONTEAEIES. 

** God many times worketh contrary to outward likelihoods. When 
the bricks were doubled, who would look for deliv^erance ? As the 
Hebrew tongue must be read backv/ard, or as the sun going back ten 
degrees in Ahaz's dial was a sign of Hezekiah's recovery, so is provi- 
dence to be read backward. Joseph was made a slave that he might 
be made a favorite. W'ho would have thought that the dungeon 
had been the way to the court, that error is a means to clear truth, 
and bondage maketh way for liberty ?" 

Thus have we found sickness work for our health and 
poverty promote our wealth. Our worst days have 
turned out to be our best days, and our low estate has 
lifted us on high. When storms come we may welcome 



214 FLOWERS FROM A 

them, for they bring blessing on their wings ; l3nt when 
onr cahn is long and deep we ought to be on our watch, 
lest stagnation and disease should come of it. Science 
talks of curing by likes ; but the Heavenly Physician 
lieals both by likes and by contraries ; in fact, he bends 
all things to his gracious purpose. To judge his pro- 
ceedings is folly and ingratitude. What can we know ? 
Especially what can we know of his design and purpose 
while his work is yet on the anvil ? Our judgments at 
their best are only moderated foolishness. We are 
neither prophets nor sons of prophets, and it wonld be 
wise if we would no more speculate upon the results of 
divine operations, but firmly believe and patiently wait 
till the providence comes to the flower and to the seed, 
and God becomes his own interpreter. 

LIFE IS THE MAIK MATTER. 
'*A corpse may be laid in state, and sumptuously adorned, but 
there is no life within/' 

Adornments are out of place in the chamber of death ; 
they do but make the scene the more ghastly. We have 
heard of a dead prince who was place upon a throne, 
dressed in imperial purple, crowned, and sceptred ! 
How pitiful the spectacle ! The courtiers mustered to 
so wretched a travesty of state must have loathed the 
pageantry. 

So is it when a man's religion is a dead profession ; its 
ostentations zeal and ceremonious display are the grim 
trappings which make the death appear more manifest. 
When, like Jehu, a man cries, " Come with me, and see 
my zeal for the Lord," his false heart betrays itself. 
The more he decorates his godliness the more does the 
Iiypocrite's spiritual death appear. It is not possible to 
supply the lack of the divine life. There is an essential 
difference between a dead child at its best and a living 



puRiTAi^'s gakde:^^. 215 

cliild at its worst, and it needs no Solomon to see it. 
Unless the Spirit of God shall give life, sustain life, and 
perfect life, none of us can ever dwell with the living 
God. This is the point to look to : the vestments and 
trappings are a secondary business. 

"WINDFALLS. 
** When the tree is shaken the rotten apples fall." 

When religion is at a discount, and godliness is 
derided, then hypocrites and unsound professors desert 
the cause. It is astonishing what a little shake will get 
rid of the commonplace members of our churches. Let 
but a minister die, or remove, or a couple of leading 
men fall out — off they go. A warm south wind, blow- 
ing from the cathedral, or the manor-house, or the 
public-house, and dropping a gentle shower of gifts, will 
cause many rotten ones to fall into the lap of bribery. 
Sound believers, who are full of life, and untouched by 
the worm of insincerity, hold to the church of God in 
all weathers. May more of these be produced every 
year to God's glory ! 

Rougher winds than these try other professors. Stag- 
nation in business, pressure for money, and the tempta- 
tion to speculate fetch down many rotten Christians. 
The fashion of the world, the luxuries of life, and the 
habits of wealthy society also shake off others from their 
visible profession. When they fall, the loss is all their 
own : the church may apparently lose by their apostasy, 
but it is not a real injury ; in fact, it may be in God's 
sight a gain to it. God thinks no better of a tree for 
being burdened with rotten fruit, nor of a church for 
being swollen in numbers by base pretenders. 

Lord, make me true to the core, and keep me so. 



216 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE BAKEE AND HIS OVEN. 
" The baker watcheth when his oven is hot, and then pntteth in 
his bread." 

Thus should we seize the best opportunity for a good 
work. Let us pray most when w^e feel we can pray 
best ; and labor most in our holy calling when God is 
giving us precious opportunities, for the old proverb 
bids us make hay while the sun shines. To everything 
there is a season, and much depends upon seizing tliat 
season, and utilizing it. Oh, worker for God, take the 
tide at its flood, and the occasion at its full ! Preach 
the gospel at all times, but specially bring it in when 
men's minds are tender through affliction or thoughtful- 
ness. If tlie oven be cold, heat it ; but when it is 
heated, do not lose your fuel. Work up the conversa- 
tion till it reaches a fit stage for bringing in the Lord 
Jesus and saving truth ; but be sure that you never get 
men's minds ready, and then fail to do that which you 
are aiming at. As the baker would not forget to put in 
the bread, so never forget to introduce the word of faith, 
the gospel of our salvation, before the interview is over. 
Have we not already suffered many a hot oven to cool ? 
Let us mend our ways, and be more diligent in our 
Master's business. 

THE BENUMBED SNAKE. 
" It is trne that natural corruption doth not break out in all with a 
like violence ; but a benumbed snake is a snake ; a sow washed is not 
changed. As when the liver groweth, other parts languish, so great 
lust intercepteth the nourishment of other corruptions." 

It seems, then, that there may be a winter to our 

corruptions as well as to animal and vegetable life, and 

then the sin wliich dwelleth in us may be quiet, as 

, though frozen into a rigid powerlessness : but what of 

that ? The weather will change, and then the nest of 



puritan's garde]^'. 217 

vipers will be all astir again, each one with venomed 
tooth aiming to destroy. Experience has also taught the 
wise observer that sin may be bound by sin, and one 
ruling passion may hold the rest in check. One man is 
kept from licentiousness by covetousness : he would be 
glad to revel in vice if it were not so expensive ; another 
would be a rake and a spendthrift, but then it would not 
be respectable, and thus his pride checks his passions. 
This restraint of sin by sin is no proof that the nature is 
one jot the better, but that it puts on a fairer appear- 
ance, and is more likely to deceive. When Satan casts 
out Satan it is a deep game ; but we must not be de- 
ceived by the diabolical trick. When the devil's work 
seems good it is at its worst. 

Nothing will answer w^ith inbred sin but the killing of 
it. When Joshua had the five kings in the cave at 
Makkedah, he was not content to shut them in with 
great stones. No, he too special pains to fetch them 
out, and hang them up. The condemned race must die, 
and then Israel can breathe freely. Sin will be our 
death if we do not put it to death. Checks and restraints 
are of small value ; what is needed is the root-and-branch 
cure — crucifixion with Christ. To cure sin by sin is a 
mere piece of stage- playing, which will never answer 
before God. We need to be purged of the cause of sin, 
yea, of all sin, or we can never enter heaven. 

O thou destroyer of the serpent and his seed, break 
the head of sin within me, so that it may never lift up 
its usurped power within my soul. Let the sword of 
the Spirit do a thorough work within my nature, till not 
a single rebel lust shall remain alive in the wide domains 
of my being. Furlu'sh thy sword, O Captain of the 
Host, and do thine office within me, for I cannot rest 
till sin is slain. 



218 FLOWERS FROM A --- ..^ 

BUTTERFLIES. 

" As children catch at butterflies the gaudy wings melt away in 
their fingers, and there remaineth nothing but an ngly worm." 

Such is the end of all earthly ambitions : they cost us 
a weary pursuit, and if we gain our desire it is destroyed 
in the grasping of it. Alas, poor rich man, who has 
wealth but has lost the powxr to enjoy it ! Alas, poor 
famous man, who in hunting for honor has learned its 
emptiness ! Alas, poor beautiful woman, who in making 
a conquest of a false heart has pierced her own with 
undying sorrow ! A butterfiy-hunt takes a child into 
danger, wearies him, throws him down, and often ends 
in his missing the pretty insect ; if, however, the boy is 
able to knock down his victim with his hat, he has 
crushed the beauty for which he undertook the chase, 
and his victory defeats him. The parallel is clear to 
every eye. For my part, let me sooner be the school- 
hoj, dashing after the painted fly, than his father worry- 
ing and wearying to snatch at something more deceptive 
still. 

Lord, it is time I had done with all butterfly-hunting, 
for my years are warning me that I may hope soon to be 
among the angels, and see greater beauties than this 
w^hole creation can set before me. I am now bent on 
pursuing nothing but that which is eternal and infinite. 
Keep me to this resolve, I pray thee. 

SPECTACLES USELESS TO THE BLIND. 
*' When unrenewed nature putteth on the spectacles of art she is 
stiU blind." 

Nowadays men must needs be philosophers, and reason 
and argue ; but their conclusions as to spiritual things, 
wherein they come into conflict with divine revelation, 
are not one whit more to be respected than the conclu- 
sions of utter ignorance. Blind men blunder enough in 



PURITAi^r's GARDEK. 219 

the dark ; add Uglit, and they see no better ; add spec- 
tacles^ and the case is not altered ; what is needed is the 
seeing eye. Till God gives eyes it is in vain for opticians 
to lend their glasses. So nnregenerate men, when they 
are ignorant, are fnll of error ; set them in the light of 
the gospel, they are in truth no wiser, for they have no 
spiritual perception of it ; then add learning and sharp 
reasoning, and the case is by no means altered ; they 
see no more than before, for they are still stone-blind. 
We have in this day many famous learned men, whose 
talk about the things of God is as idle as that of illiterate 
blasphemers. "Whatever they know as to other matters, 
they can know nothing of divine truths, for they have 
no faculty with which to perceive them. Let them put 
on their great goggles of science, they see no more of 
spirituals with them than Avithout them. 

Lord ! let me not go about to fit spectacles to blind 
eyes ; but whenever I meet with a birth-blind Bartimeus, 
help me to bring him to thee, for it is a mark of thy 
Messiahship that from thee the blind receive their sight. 

AT HOME, YET NOT AT HOII^CG. 

''Jerusalem from above is the mother of ns all. Heaven is the 
believer's native country, and therefore, though the man be at home, 
yet the Christian is not ; he is out of his proper place." 

Hence our position is a paradox. We were in literal fact 
born out of our native country, and whilst we are at home we 
are abroad. We can say, ^ ^ Lord, thou has been our dwelllDg- 
place in all generations," and yet we often cry, " Oh that I 
knew where I might fi ad him !" We are exiles in spirit while 
we are at home in the body ; and we shall never be at home 
till we have left our native land, and have returned to the 
country which we have never yet seen. We are living para- 
doxes and contradictions, and it is no wonder that men know 
us not, for we scarcely know ourselves. 



220 TLOWERS FROM A 

HOKSE WITH HALTEE. 

" A beast escaped with a baiter is easily caught again ; so a lust 
indulged will bring us into our old bondage." 

Nothing is harder to bury tlian the tail of a habit ; bat 
unless we do bury it, tail and all, the viper will wriggle out of 
its grave. A clear, clean, and complete escape is the only true 
deliverance from an evil practice which has long been indulged. 
A drunkard, is not safe from the drink while he takes his 
occasional glass with a friend. A man who allows himself any 
one sin will be sure to allow another ; where one dog comes 
into the room, another may follow. A fish is not free for his 
life while a hook is in his mouth, and a line holds him to the 
rod. However thin the connecting medium, it will be the 
death of the fish, if it holds ; and, however slight the bond 
which links a man to evil, it will be his sure ruin. 

Oh for grace to war with every sin ! So long as one 
Amalekite remains, Israel is not free from peril from the ac- 
cursed race. Let us, like Samuel, hew the delicate Agag in 
pieces before the Lord. lie may have a gentle speech and 
pleasing manners, but he is the very king of the band, and 
must not be spared. We must not let our heart go after one 
of its idols, or it will be in bondage to it, and afterward in 
servitude to everv other form of sin. 

Lord, set me free from the last link of my chain. Suffer 
me not to drag behind me even a fragment of my betters. 
Free to obey, free to be holy — this is what I crave ! 

THE SUNBEAM ON THE DUNGHILL. 

** God can by no means be looked upon as the direct author of 
sin, or the proper cause of that obliquity that is in the actions of the 
creatures ; for his providence is conversant about sin without sin, as 
a sunbeam lighteth upon a dunghill without being stained by it.' ' 

This is a grand truth most clearly set forth. It will help us 
to answer many a gainsayer. Evil is in God's world, but God 
is good, and only good. 



puritak's garden. 221 

IRON IN THE FIRE MADE LIKE FIRE. 

"In a stamp impressed, the wax receiveth only the form and 
figure, without any real quality ; as a golden seal leaveth no tincture 
of gold, nor a brazen seal the property of brass. In a glass, besides 
figure and proportion, there is a representation of motion, but no 
other real qualities. But here, as iron in the fire seemeth to be 
fire, we are like our Lord in holiness and happiness." 

Thus, my soul, be thou in Christ as the iron in the fire, 
thyself transformed into his very nature and spirit. Is it so 
with thee now ? Alas, not as it should be. Yet he that hath 
wrought us to the self -same thing thus far is the Lord, and he 
will not cease his work till he hath perfected it.*" Keiining fire 
go through my heart until I, also, burn and glow. Lord, I cry 
to thee for this, and surely that which is already in my desire 
will soon be in my possessfbn. I leave myself in thy hands. 
Change me wholly into thine image, I beseech thee. 

THORNS AND BURRS. 

" Ears of corn do not catch our clothes and hang about them, but 
thorns and burrs will do so." 

In passing through the midst of this crooked and perverse 
generation, we are far more likely to learn evil than good. It 
is well to keep our clothes well brushed when traversing this 
world's dusty roads, for it is not a fragrant spice, but a defiling 
^ust, which we gather in our journeying. Often have we gone 
for a walk and brought home mire upon our shoes, but we 
never remember to have come home with our clothing im- 
proved by our perambulations. The tendency of all around 
is to soil us, and mar the beauty of our holiness. The Lord 
help us to be very careful on this point. May we be among 
those of whom there were a few even in Sardis, ' ' who have 
not defiled their garments ;'' for the Lord Jesus says of them, 
^' they shall walk wdth me in white, for they are worthy." 
What a walk will that be ! What joy had Enoch in such a 
walk on earth ! What honor will be given us by such a walk 
in heaven ! 



222 FLOWERS FKOM A 

SERVANTS AND HEIRS. 

" A servant must have something in hand, he must have his 
pay from quarter to quarter, or from week to week. He is not 
expecting to receive his master's possessions, and, therefore, seeks 
a present wage ; but an heir waiteth till the estate falls in to him, 
and looks not for present gains.'' 

Thus may we discern between the mere hireling and the 
true-born child : the one deserts the Lord's service when it 
does not pay down on the nail ; the other never expects reward 
till glory shall crown his labors. It is a sad thing for any sort 
of people when Jesus can say of them, " Verily, I say unto 
you, tkej/ have their reward.'' They cannot expect to be paid 
twice, and as their account is discharged in full, what have 
they to look for ? 

Blessed shall we be if we are enabled to imitate the example 
of the Lord Jesus, who served the Father in .the spirit of 
Sonship. Love made liim rise above all idea of present rec- 
ompense : he waited the Father's time, and he still waits for 
his complete reward till the hour of his Second Advent shall 
arrive. 

" A servant," according to Job, '' earnestly desireth the 
shadow" of evening, when his task will be ended ; *' and the 
hireling looketh for the reward of his work :" this is nothing 
more than natural, for they have no interest in the work 
beyond their pay. But the heir loveth his father, and worketh 
and waiteth patiently, for the father saith to him, '' All that I 
have is thine." In serving the cause of God we are really 
serving ourselves, for we are partakers in this great cause, even 
as the interest of sons is one with that of their father. Can we 
not, therefore, '' both hope and quietly wait for the salvation 
of the Lord?" 

HOUSES AND SHIPS PREPARED FOR STORMS. 

" He that buildeth a house, doth not take care that the rain should 
not descend upon it, or the storm should not beat upon it : there is 
no fencing against these things, they cannot be prevented by any 
care of ours ; but he takes care that the house may be able to endure 
all weathers without damage. And he that buildeth a ship, doth not 



puritan's GARDEi^. 223 

make this his work, that it should never meet with waves and bil- 
lows ; that is impossible ; but that it may be tight and stanch, and 
able to endure all tempests. A man that taketh care for his body, 
doth not desire that he meet with no change of weather, hot or 
cold ; but he prepareth his dress that his body may bear all inclemen- 
cies. Thus should Christians do : they should not so much take 
care how to avoid afflictions as to be ready to bear them with an even 
and quiet mind." 

Let me then seek steadfastness that I may stand in every 
storm, strength that I may brave every tempest, and all the 
graces of the Spirit that I may be liappy in every condition. I 
may not pray to be kept from the flood and the wind, but that 
my house may be built upon a rock. I may not ask that no 
tempest may assault my bark, but that Jesus may be nlvvays 
in the vessel. I may not beg the Lord to change the arrange- 
ments of his providence, and neither try me with the heat of 
prosperity nor the cold of adversity, but I must see to it that 
I buy of him raiment that I may be clothed amid all the 
changes of my circumstances. 

Herein is wisdom. Let us learn it, even as the prudent 
woman of the Proverbs had learned it, of whom we read, 
'* She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her 
household are clothed with scarlet." Better to be prepared 
for trial than to be flying hither and thither to avoid it. 
Come, my soul, thou must make a passage across a rough sea, 
nerve thyself to it by grace divine, and the Lord shall yet be 
glorified in thee. A battle awaits thee. Do not attempt to 
run from the figbt, but look to thine armor, and unsheath thy 
sword. 

HEAET-DISEASE THE WORST DISEASE. 

'' "What would we think of a man who complained of the tooth- 
ache, or of a cut finger, when all the while he was wounded at the 
heart ? Would it not seem very strange ?" 

Yet men will lament anything sooner than the depravity of 
their hearts. Many will confess their wandering thoughts in 
prayer, but will not acknowledge the estrangement of their hearts 
from God. They will be sorry for having spoken angrily, but 



22i FLOWERS FROM A 

not for having a passionate heart. They will own to Sabbath- 
breaking, but never lament their want of love to Jesus, which 
is a heart-matter. The evil of their hearts seems nothing to 
them : their tongues, hands, feet are all that they notice. 
What ! will they cry over a cut finger, and feel no fear when 
they have a dagger thrust into their bowels ? Oh, madness of 
sinners, that they trifle most with that disease which is the 
most dangerous, and lies at the bottom of all other ills. God's 
great complaint of men is that they set up in their hearts idols 
which they themselves think nothing of. Ezek. 14 : 3, 5. 
Certain in our day are so far gone that they even deny that the 
human heart is diseased. What then ? It does but prove the 
intimate connection betwen the heart and the eyes. A per- 
verted heart soon creates a blinded eye. Of course a depraved 
heart does not see its own depravity. Oh that v/e could lead 
men to think and feel aright about their hearts ; but this is 
the last point to which we can bring them ! They beat about 
the bush, and mourn over any and every evil except the source 
and fountain of it all. 

Lord, teach me to look wdthin. May I attend even more to 
myself than to my acts. Purge thou the spring, that the 
stream may no longer be defiled. I would begin where thou 
dost begin, and beseech thee to give me a new heart. Thou 
sayest, " My son, give me thine heart." Lord, I do give it 
to thee, but at the same time I pray, " Lord, give me a new 
heart ;" for without this my heart is not worth thy having. 

THE JUDGE'S YEKDICT ALONE TO BE EEGAEDED. 

'^ It is no matter what standers-by say of the runner, so the judge 
of the race doth approve of his running." 

Yet we all make too much of the approval or disapproval of 
our fellow-men, who are, after all, only the spectators, and not 
the umpires, of the race. AVhat folly this is ! What injuries 
it inflicts ! We are elevated by human opinion if it be favor- 
able to us, and this betrays us into the weakness of pride ; 
which weakness soon shows itself in faint-heartedness, when 



pukitan's gakdex. 225 

that unstable opinion veers round, and blows a cold blast of 
fault-finding. If we were steadily ** looking unto Jesus, '^ this 
would not happen, and our running would be more regular and 
less disturbed. Be it our endeavor to live above men, in the 
conscious presence of God. Who and what are men that we 
should live upon the breath of their nostrils ? Their judgment 
is a small matter ; the judgment of God is all in all. 

Lord, thou hast said, *' Walk before me, and be thou per- 
fect,'' and from this I learn that I cannot hope for perfection 
unless I set thee always before me, and rate thine approval at 
an infinitely higher price than the judgment of those about 
me. Enable me to say with thy servant David, ^' I have set 
the Lord always before me ; because he is at my right hand, I 
shall not be moved." 

PRUNING UNPRUNED TREES. 

*' Trees long nnpruned have the more cuts of the knife when the 
gardener begins with them.' ' 

, The ground is strewn with their offshoots, and they present 
a sorry figure : one might even think that the gardener was 
quite destroying them. So have we seen our Father, who is 
the Husbandman, cut and slash terribly with those who have 
been long prosperous, and have, therefore, borne little of the 
fruit of grace, and much of the wood of worldliness. See how 
their wealth diminishes, their health declines, their family 
sickens ! Providence multiplies their trials till they feel that 
the hand of the Lord is gone out against them. Does the 
gardener hate the apple-tree when he prunes so remorselessly ? 
Far from it : he knows it to be a choice tree, and, therefore, 
he would have fruit from it : he would not thus wear away his 
knife upon a crab. Abounding trials prove their own necessity 
and the Lord's sagacity. If it clearly appears that we have not 
been able to bear seasons of worldly ease, it is the stern order 
of heavenly love that we must lose the unprofitable luxuriance 
of our unregulated joys. Is it not well that it should be so ? 
O Lord, I thank thee for all the wounds thou hast hitherto 



226 FLOWERS FKOM A 

seen it wise to inflict npon me. If I, too, Lave enjoyed too 
much repose, and have spent my strength nnprofitably in con- 
sequence thereof, I rejoice to think that I am in good hands. 
Deal with me even as thou wilt. I ask not for affliction, but 
I beg thee to make me fruitful unto thyself, let the means be 
what they may. 

LIKE WILL TO LIKE. 
'' Everything tendeth to the place of its original. Men love their 
native soil ; things bred in the water delight in that element ; inani- 
mate things tend to their centre ; a stone will fall to the gronnd 
though broken in pieces by the fall." 

Thus I may judge of my nature by my inclination. What 
delights me ? For where my delight is my heart is. If I take 
pleasure in the ways of the world, then I am of the world. If 
I find myself at home in sin, then I am still the servant of sin. 
Doubtless many hasten to evil with such desperate speed that 
they will be broken in the fall ; yet to evil they must needs 
go, and he who would hinder them gets a wound for his pains. 

Come, my heart, what say est thou of thyself ? Art thou 
inclined to holiness or to lewdness, to grace or to covetousness ? 
How much hangs on this ! Yet take heart, for if thou hast a 
nature which came from heaven it will rise to heaven. If 
Jesus is the source of thy life, that life will rise as high as the 
place where Jesus dwells. Is not this a rich encouragement ? 

SAILING LONG, BUT NOT FAR. 

*' A man may abide long in the \yorld till he be eaten out of life by 
his own rust, or droppeth like rotten fruit ; but he cannot be said to 
have a long life ; as a man may be long at sea, but if he is driven to 
and fro by the waves he cannot be said to make a long voyage when 
he is at last driven back into the port out of which he sailed at first." 

Yes, life is not to be measured by mere lapse of time, but 
by the real headway which a man makes. The mass of man- 
kind voyage to no known port, but are the sport of winds and 
waves. Compass or chart they no more consult than do the 
sea-birds or the dolphins. Thus it happens that in advanced 
years men are no forwarder than in youth, for they never con- 



.PUKITA2^'S GARDEN. 227 

tin lie in one line, having no object before them : they have not 
lived, but existed. Nothing has been attempted, much less 
accomplished ; their years have rusted them into infirmity, but 
otherwise they are unaltered. Here's the respect which makes 
calamity of so much wasted life. 

O my blessed Lord, preserve thy servant from spending his 
sojourn here after the manner of the idler. Let mine be a 
real life. May I not be a mere strainer of meat and drink, or 
a walking clothes-horse, or a cipher ; but may I so live on 
earth that it may seem wise to thee to bid me continue my life 

forever. 

DOUBLE BENEFIT. 

*' A malefactor that hath a leprosy on hiin needs not only a pardon, 
but a medicine ; and in a broken leg, not only ease of the pain is de- 
sirable, but that the bone be set right. So we need both justification 
and sanctification." 

Justification saves the malefactor, and sanctification cures 
him of his spiritual disease : are they not equally desirable ? 
Who would wish to miss the one or the other if in need of 
them ? Pardon removes the pain of our broken bones, but 
spiritual renewal reduces the fracture. Let us not be content 
with half a gospel, but obtain a whole Christ for our broken 
hearts. Renewal of life is every way as desirable as forgive- 
ness of sin. As well be full of guilt as full of guile. If a 
child has eaten unhealthy food, it is well to cure the disease 
which is occasioned by it, but it is equally desirable to break 
him of the habit which led him to such foul feeding. 

Lord, thy poor servant is by nature both malefactor and 
leper ; and nothing will serve my turn but a double-handed 
blessing. I pray thee absolve me, and cure me too. Let me 
know of a surety that both these blessings are mine beyond all 
question, mine in immediate and experienced possession. 

GRAVEL IN THE SHOE. 
*' Who will pity the man who complains of soreness and pain in 
walking, and yet doth not take the gravel out of his shoe ? If you 
wound and gore yourselves, no question but your smart and trouble 



228 FLOWERS FROM A . 

are real, you do not complain in hypocrisy ; but who is to be blamed ? 
Your business is to remove the cause." 

Many of the trials of our spiritual life are preventible : if we 
indulge a sin we invite a sorrow. Others are curable : if we 
refuse a remedy we rivet a disease. All that we can do for 
ourselves we are bound to do. We must put away evil habits, 
and not content ourselves with whining out our regrets. We 
must get away from temptation, and not sit near the fire and 
complain of the heat. There is too much of this insincerity 
abroad. W^hat should we have thought of the prodigal if he 
had lamented his destitution, but had continued in the far 
country ? What do we now think of the drunkard who mourns 
over the redness of his eyes, and yet tarries long at the wine ; 
or of the lascivious man who bemoans his vice, and yet fre- 
quents the house of the strange woman ? 

By gracious instruction, I pray thee, O Lord, teach me to 
be practical in going to the bottom of things, that I may not 
waste time in regretting evils which it is my duty to prevent. 
Let me not mourn my doubt, and yet refuse to believe thy 
faithful word ; neither permit me to cry over my chastisement, 
and yet continue in my folly. Lord, make me to know wis- 
dom. To this end, make me mindful of little things. Help 
me to look to the little stone, or tiny dust in my shoe, for this 
may cause me many a blister, and even lame me, so that I 
cannot hold on my way. 

AN UNUSUAL COMPLAINT. 
' * I have read in the lives of the fathers of a devout man that, be- 
ing one year without any trial, cried out, ^Vomine, reliquisti me, quia 
non me visitasti, hoc anno,'' — Lord ! thou hast forgotten me, and for a 
whole year hast not appointed me upon any exercise of patience." 

We would not recommend any one of our readers to unite 
with this devout but mistaken expression. We should count 
it all joy when we fall into divers trials, but, at the same time, 
we ought to be thankful if we do not fall into them. If a cross 
be laid upon us, let us take it up cheerfully ; but it would be 
folly to make a cross for ourselves, or go out of our way to 



puritan's garden. 229 

look for one. He must be a very foolish child who begs to be 
whipped. ^' Lead us not into temptation/' is a prayer of our 
Lord's own teaching, and we prefer to keep to it rather than 
follow this devout man in w^hat reads very like a prayer for 
temptation. Those who cry for chastisement will have enough 
of it before all is over. Be it ours to leave our correction and 
probation in our Lord's hands, and never let us be so unwise 
as to desire more trials than his infinite wisdom appoints us. 

THE TAP AND THE LIQUOE. 
"The tap ranneth according to the liquor with which the vessel is 
fiUed." 

The tongue babbleth out that which occupies the mind. 
We shall never hear much pious conversation till we have more 
thorough conversions. Taps will never run with pure water 
while the barrels are bursting with fermented liquors. Change 
the contents of the heart, and you alter at once the droppings 
of the mouth. From a sweet fountain of thought we shall 
have sweet waters of talk. Even the involuntary utterances of 
gracious men are gracious : the mere drippings of common 
speech reveal the heart of the man. The leakings of a tap 
show the contents quite as surely as the proper runnings of it. 

Lord, grant that even my dreams may be pure, that my 
playful thoughts may be godly, and my chance words accept- 
able before thee. Fill me with thyself, and then nothing but 
good can come from me. 

BRASS FARTHINGS AND GOLD IN THE POCKET. 
'*He that hath in his pocket more store of gold than of brass 
farthings will at every draught bring out more gold than farthings." 

Of course the hand fetches out the various kinds of coins in 
proportion as they exist in the place from which it takes them. 
Now, our works are our hand, and this, by action, fetches out 
of us that which is in us. Li a child of God there is a measure 
of natural evil, and a more abounding measure of grace ; and 
so it will come to pass that, in his life, holiness will be more 
conspicuous than sin. His life has its failings, but much more 



230 PLOWERS FROM A 

its virtues. Peter brought out brass farthings of boasting and 
impetuous folly at times ; but he also brought forth so much 
true gold that his Lord said, ^' Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
jona." When he had received the Holy Ghost he brought 
out much more gold ; but even then a farthing came out now 
and then, for Paul withstood him because he was to be blamed. 

When the believer's tongue also makes a dip into the pocket 
of the heart there may come forth some of those wretched 
brass farthings in the form of idle words ; but much more will 
the gold be poured forth in edifying discourse. Paul saith that 
foolish talking is not befitting, but he commends giving of 
thanks ; now, if somewhat of our folly has come forth in our 
talk, let us give heed that far more of our gratitude shall be 
brought out also. We ought daily to grow richer in grace, 
and so have more gold, and less of the baser sort. 

Lord, help me to get rid of these miserable brass counters, 
and do thou fill up their places with the precious metal of thine 
own holiness and truth. Am I not thy child ? Wilt thou not 
supply me within with that which will be fit to be brought out 
into my life ? Oh that I might be ^' filled with all the fulness 
of God,'' that my poor empty things may no more appear ! 

KAVENS LOVING THE SCENT' OF CAKKION. 

" If yon wo-iiid be free from sin, avoid the temptations that lead to 
it. If ravens or crows be driven away from carrion, they love to 
abide within scent of it.'* 

This last sentence is a grim parable, but all too true. If 
human nature cannot yield an ell to self-indulgence, it will give 
its full inch. We have seen those who dared not enter the 
devil's house linger long and lovingly around the doors. The 
old woman in the fable, who could find no wine in the jar, yet 
loved to smell at it. It is a clear proof of the love of human 
nature to evil that, when restrained from actual sin, men will 
rehearse their former exploits, and dote on the lusts which they 
indulged years ago. If they cannot have a fresh dish from 
Satan's garden they will have '' the cauld kail het again" 
sooner than go without. 



puritan's gakde>^. 231 

Our antlior gives sage advice at the outset, when he says — 
to avoid sin, avoid temptation. He who would not be 
wounded should keep out of battle ; he who would not be 
tossed about should not go to sea ; he who would not be 
heated should keep away from the fire. If men will get into 
the train which runs to the terminus of iniquity, they must 
expect to be carried to their journey's end. He who desires 
to keep awake should not go to bed. If I stand in the way of 
sinners I shall soon run with them. Oh to possess a godly 
fear, which shall lead me rather to go ten miles round about, 
than pass by the place of temptation ! It is well to keep out 
of the smell of sin, for the very odor of it is baneful. 

If we seek a temptation we shall soon find it ; and within it, 
like a kernel in a nut, we shall meet with sin. Oh that our 
young people had the wit to see this, and were more firmly 
resolved not to stand in the broad road, or even near it, lest 
they should become regular travellers upon it ! Lord, give 
them prudence. Yea, give me prifdence, and, as I would not 
devour the carrion of sin, give me such a renewed nature that 
the most distant scent of it shall at once sicken me, and cause 
me to urge my steps as far from it as possible. 

TONGS FOR HANDLING HOT HION. 
** Chrysostom hath the following comparison: * A smith that taketh 
up his red-hot iron with his hands, and not with his tongs, what can 
he expect but to burn his fingers ? So we destroy our souls when 
we judge of the mysteries of faith by the laws of common reason." 

Common enough is this error. Men must needs comprehend 
when their main business is to apprehend. That which God 
reveals to us is, to a large extent, beyond the reach of under- 
standing, and, therefore, in refusing to believe until we can 
understand, we are doing ourselves and the truth a grievous 
wrong. Our wisdom lies as much in taking heed lioio we 
receive as in being careful what we receive. Spiritual truth 
must be received by a spiritual faculty ; namely, by faith. 
As well hope to grasp a star by the hand, as divine truth by 
reason. Faith is well likened to the golden tongs, with which 



232 FLOWERS PROM A 

we may carry live coals ; and carnal reason is the burned hand, 
which lets fall the glowing mass, which it is not capable of 
carrying. 

Let it not, however, be thought that faith is contrary to 
reason. No : it is not unreasonable for a little child to believe 
its father's statements, though it be quite incapable of per- 
ceiving all their bearings. It is quite reasonable that a pupil 
should accept his master's principles at the beginning of his 
studies ; he will get but little from his discipleship if he begins 
by disputing with his teacher. How are we to learn anything 
if we will not believe ? In the gloriously sublime truths of 
Godhead, Incarnation, Atonement, Regeneration, and so forth, 
we must beheve, or be forever ignorant : these masses of the 
molten metal of eternal truth must be handled by faith, or let 
alone. 

All-gracious Lord, this one thing thou hast done for me — 
thou hast made me a willing believer. Let but thine authority 
be at the back of a statement, and it stands instead of reason : 
in fact, thy word is to me the surest evidence, and to believe it 
is my soundest common-sense. Lord, thy logos is my 
logic ; thy Testament is my argument ; thy Word is my 
warrant. In the day which shall reveal all things it shall be 
seen that man's reasonings are but childish folly, and God's 
revelation is wisdom at its height. 

GKEEN- WOOD. 

** Green wood, which is wet and full of sap, cannot be kindled by 
a flash or a spark, but needeth much care and blowing ere it will 
burn." 

When we are dealing with young and thoughtless minds, 
w^e must remember this, and be patient and persevering. Such 
will not readily take fire when we apply our match ; we had 
better go down on our knees while we are trying to light the 
fire of attention in them, and if we use the warm breath of our 
anxious love we shall all the sooner do the work. 

Lord, as I have seen my servant thus doing my work, help 
me as thy servant to copy her, and succeed in thy work. 

GAMBLING. 
''In gaming there is a secret witchery. A man will play a little, 
and only venture a small sum ; but soon he is wormed in, and more 
and more entangled ; and so men think it is no great matter to sin a 
little, and yet that little leadeth on to more." 

The illustration is most forcible. Many persons have put 



puritan's garden. 233 

down a piece of silver on the gaming-table when passing 
through the room, and from that moment their ruin has been 
sealed. They will be seen from day to day staking their 
hundreds, till the last fatal roll of the ball leaves them penni- 
less. For the while gamblers live, and move, and have their 
being in the game : their eyes are quick, and their brains are 
sharp, to see each turn of the play : they are the willing, 
abject slaves of what is called amusement. Thus doth sin 
begin with littles, and glide into more serious faults ; till the 
sinner is spellbound, and finds himself engrossed with folly, 
which he has no will to leave. Be it ours to give no place to 
the devil. Let him not have a spot whereon to set up his 
enchantment and work his diabolical arts. If we never venture 
a farthing upon Satan^s table, we shall never be made beggars 
by his devices. If he is not allowed to spin a spider's web 
about us, he will never be able to hold us with the cords of 
iniquity. If we never wade into sin we shall never drown in 
it. Lord, keep us from the appearance of evil. 

mWAED BLEEDING. 
'* ]Many die of inward bleeding as well as by ontward wounds." 
Every surgeon can give give instances of such deaths. Not 
an abrasion of the skin was visible : the dying man had neither 
gash, nor cut, nor even a pin's prick, and yet his life oozed 
away in secret. Thus, without an open fault, a man's soul 
may perish. If wrath rage within, it is fatal, though no 
revengeful act has been perpetrated ; if lust be burning in the 
heart, the man is lost, though he has never advanced to a 
lascivious deed ; if unbelief proves an inward enmity against 
God, the man is condemned already, though no blasphemous 
word has crossed his lip. Sin is a bleeding at the heart. It is 
a disease which destroys the true life within, as well as the 
fruit of it without ; therefore let every man beware of flattering 
himself that he is right with God because no glaring vice is 
manifest in his daily conversation. The worm none the less 
surely destroys the apple because its first operations are at the 
core, and quite out of sight. If fire be utterly hidden among 
combustible materials, it will not therefore be any the less sure 
and rapid in its devouring work. 

*' Sin, which dwelleth in me," is the enemy that I must 
fight against, as well as sin which goeth out of me. O Lord, 
help me to be healthy in the fountain of my being. Heal my 
heart, and so I shall be healed. Heart-disease baffles all phy- 



234 PLOWERS FROM A 

siciatis but thyself. This, however, is thy speciaUte, Lord, 
display thy sovereign power and skill in the centre of my 
being. 

A CHILD ASKING AN APPLE. 

*' Prayers to God for spiritual things are the most acceptable, but 
prayers for temporals are not despised. A child pleaseth his father 
more when he desireth him to teach him his book than when he begs 
for an apple ; yet this request is not refused when it will do him no 
ill to grant it. '* 

A pretty, simple picture, rightly drawn upon divine author- 
ity ; for the Lord himself teaches us to judge what our heaven- 
ly Father will do for us by that which we would do for our 
children. If I go to God, and ask for spiritual blessings, he 
will be pleased with my request, and most surely grant it, even 
as a father will readily give his boy a lesson in some useful 
work or book. But I may also beg for temporal mercies, as a 
child asks for its bread and butter. More than this, as a child 
may ask for an apple, or a sweet, so may I make request for 
that which I desire. Only in this latter case I am bound to 
remember that a child is not hidden to ask for the apple, though 
he is allowed to do so. '' Give me this day my daily bread,'' 
is a petition prescribed : if I ask for more it must be as a 
petition permitted. Moreover, the child's request is one which 
must be left entirely to the Father's own discretion : he is 
bound by promise to give his offspring necessaries, but he is 
under no bonds to grant them luxuries. Here is a difference 
ever to be noted between prayers commanded and prayers 
tolerated. As we are children of the great Father, we have a 
large liberty of request ; if we delight ourselves in the Lord 
he will give us the desires of our hearts ; but still when we are 
praying, it is well for us to press our suit just so far as it may 
be pressed, and no further. A child asking for necessary food 
may be vehement even unto tears ; but if what he wishes for is 
only a sugar-stick, he will be a naughty child if he be passion- 
ately importunate. Mind this, ye babes in grace, when next 
ye pray. Ask, seek, knock, according as the promise invites ; 
but in temporal matters consider the way of the Lord's house, 
and submit your will unto the will of the Father. 

THE SHOWMAN'S JEST. 
** Austin speaketh of a jester who boasted that at the next fair he 
would undertake to show every one what they did desire ] and when 
there was a great concourse and expectation, he told them, ^Hoc 
(yinnes vuliis, vili emere, et caro vendere,' — You all desire to buy cheap 
and sell dear. Another showman, on like occasion, said, * Ye all de- 



puritan's GARDE]Sr. 235 



sire to be jDraised. ' But Austin saith rightly, these were but foolish 
answers, because many good men desire neither, the one being 
against justice, and the other against sincerity ; but, saith he, ' SI 
dixisset, omnes beaii esse vultis, If he had said, — Ye all desire to be 
happy, he had said right. Every one may find this disposition in 
his own heart, every man desireth happiness." 

No doubt this is true, and it is equally true that the notion 
of happiness is as varied as the wish for it is universal. What 
is my view of happiness ? This is a question of the highest 
importance ; for as I am sure to seek after that which I desire, 
and am sure to desire that which I conceive to be happiness, it 
is clear that my conception of happiness will largely regulate 
my whole course of life. Remember this, O my soul, and 
take good heed that thou seek not happiness apart from holi- 
ness, nor rest apart from Jesus, nor pleasure apart from pleas- 
ing God. 

Lord, teach men that thou art their bliss, and then draw" 
them to seek after thee with their whole hearts. 

CONSCIENCE LIKE THE EYE OR THE STOIVIACH. 

'*The least dust, if it get into the eye, will pain it ; so will con- 
science at first smite us for lesser failings and excesses ; but after- 
ward when you make bold with it, it is like the stomach of the 
ostrich, which digesteth iron ; or like a part or member of the body 
which is seared with a hot iron, it hath no feeling (1 Tim. 4 : 2) ; or, 
like freezing water, which at first will not bear a pin, but afterward 
it freezeth, and freezeth, till it bear a cart-load. Some men lose 
their tender sense of sin by frequency of sinning." 

If our offending against right did us no worse turn than this 
it would be bad enough, for to lose sensitiveness of conscience 
is to lose the excellence of our being. What is the eye worth 
when it can no longer feel pain, or the hand when its touch is 
gone, or the head when sensation has departed ? As well take 
away from the goldsmith all his tests as from man his con- 
science. What is the use of a watchman who is in a dead 
sleep ? How far any one of us may be proceeding in this 
direction it will be prudent for us to know at once, that by 
repentance we may arrest the process, and by faith may put 
ourselves into the hands of the Lord Jesus, that he may give 
back to us the heart of flesh. Let us entreat the Holy Spirit 
to continue his softening operations even to the end. 

*' Sin has been hammering my heart 
Unto a hardness void of love : 
Let suppling grace to cross its art 
Drop from above." 



236 FLOAVERS fro:m a 

THE EAE-RING. 
" Reproof is an ear- jewel ; now an ear- jewel mnsfc not be too 
"weighty and heavy, lest it tear and rend, rather than adorn the ear." 

Rebuke requires delicacy. It is never wise to box a man on 
the ear to win his attention to a whisper. Too much zeal in 
this case is its own hindrance. It is only a dainty bit of pure 
gold, garnished with a rare jewel, that a lady will think fit for 
her ear : it would be idle to offer her a quoit, or even a 
curtain-ring. It was said of a good man that if he wished to 
brush off a fly from a friend^s forehead he would look round for 
a beetle and wedges ; and of another that he washed off spots 
from a brother's face with scalding water. A man should 
note how reproofs affect himself, and lie may from this ob- 
servation discover that they need to be administered very 
tenderly. The rebukes of the righteous should always be as a 
precious ointment, sweet and gentle ; never should they break 
the head. Whenever it is our reader's duty to attend to this 
painful business, let him remember Manton's figure of the ear- 
ring, and act accordingly. A. friend who wished a lady to 
wear an ear-ring would go down to the jeweller^s, and with 
dainty fingers examine various jewels, and select one of the 
best, suited for that exquisite piece of living coral which is 
such an adornment to a fair head. This he would not fling at 
the lady, nor force into her ear with violence, but he would 
proffer it with due courtesy, and leave her to fix it in its place 
herself. If a reproof be thus selected, and be really precious, 
it should be wisely presented to the person for whom it is 
intended ; and much of the application must be adroitly left 
to the person's own conscience. Thus will the gem reach the 
ear, and the reproof reach the heart. 

Lord, make us wise in this and all other things by thy Spirit. 
Let us not shun the duty of reproof, but help me to do it >vell, 
lest I do harm when I mean to do good, and thus myself need 
to be rebuked. 

THE YOKE LINED. 
" The yoke of Christ will be more easy than we think of, especially 
when it is lined with grace.'* 

We well remember an old man who carried pails with a 
yoke, and as he was infirm, and tender about the shoulders, his 
yoke was padded, and covered with w^iite flannel where it 
touched him. But what a lining is ^' love !" A cross of 
iron, lined with love, would never gall the neck, much less will 
Christ's wooden cross. Lined with Christ's love to us ! 



237 



Covered with our love to him ! Truly the yoke is easy, and 
the burden is light. 

Whenever the shoulder becomes sore let us look to the 
lining.. Keep the lining right, and the yoke will be no more 
a burden to us than wings are to a bird, or her wedding-ring is 
to a bride. love divine, line my whole life, my cares, my 
griefs, my pains ; and what more can I ask ? 

PRESCRIPTIONS NOT TO BE ALTERED. 

*' The prescriptions of a physician must not be altered, either by 
the apothecary or the patient ; so we, the preachers, must not alter 
God's prescriptions, neither must you, the hearers. We must not 
shun to declare, nor you to receive, * The whole counsel of God.' " 

It is as much as a man's soul is worth to alter a word of the 
Lord's own writing : to take away from the book, or to add 
to it, is forbidden ; and threatened with the heaviest penalties. 

It is not ours to improve the gospel, but to repeat it when 
we preach, and obey it when we hear. The gospel, the whole 
gospel, and nothing but the gospel, must be our religion, or 
we are lost men. Imagine a dispenser altering the ingredients 
of a medicine to suit his own notions ! We should soon have 
him on trial for manslaughter ; and surely he would deserve to 
be tried on a still higher charg'e should a patient die through 
his folly. The gospel prescription is such that an omission or 
an addition may soon make that which was ordained to life to 
be unto death. We may not attempt to be wiser than God, 
for the idea involves constructive blasphemy. No, it is ours 
to follow our copy to the letter, come what may of it. 

Lord, in my teaching I have ever kept to what thou hast 
said ; and therefore men think me old-fashioned, and behind 
the age. Give me grace to continue so. Never may I aspire 
to practise a new pharmacy, but may I faithfully dispense thine 
own ancient and unvarying prescription of salvation by grace 
through faith. 

• TRUSTING AFTER FAILURE. 

" As a prodigal, that hath once broken after he hath been set up, 
is not trusted with a like stock again ; so God's children may not re- 
cover that largeness of spirit, and fulness of inward strength and 
comfort, which they had before. Many after a great disease do not 
regain that pitch of health which formerly they had, but they carry 
the fruits of their disease with them to their graves." 

This is not always the case, for it may happen, as. with 
Peter, that the bankrupt believer may so prosper in grace as to 
be richer than before his failure ; but we fear that Manton 



238 FLOWERS FROM A 

here mentions the general rule. Men do not care to ride a 
broken-kneed horse : if it has been down once, it may be 
down again. A wise father does not care to restore a son to 
a position for which he bas proved himself to be unlit. Even 
so has the Lord dealt with many backsliding ones : like David, 
they have been restored, but never to their former peace, 
prosperity, and power. Into the army of our Lord the deserter 
is received with gladness ; but he must begin in the ranks, 
and must prove his fidelity before he is again intrusted with a 
commission. A fallen one, when restored, may have gained 
in self-knowledge, but he must necessarily be a loser in many 
other respects. 

A little boy, who had fallen into the habit of falsehood, was 
made by his father to drive a nail into a post every time he 
had exaggerated, or told a Jie. At last the habit was con- 
quered, and in several trials the boy had displayed complete 
truthfulness. Then his father allowed him to draw out some 
of the nails, and this was repeated till no nail was left in the 
post. The little fellow, so far from being proud when every 
nail was gone, exclaimed, " Alas, father, the holes are there, 
where the nails used to be !'' Just so does evil leave its 
marks. However fully restored, the fallen professor seldom loses 
the memory of impurity, and does not easily regain his injured 
influence. He is always weak in those points which led to his 
former fall, and, for the most part, weaker all round. 

O Lord ! if thou hast counted me faithful, putting me into 
thy service, I pray thee keep me from being either unfaithful to 
my charge, or negligent in my life. Let me be so upheld that 
I shall not have need to be picked out of the mire, and set on 
my feet again. 

THE DEN OF THE COCKATRICE. 
" If we play about the cockatrice's hole, no wonder we are bitten." 

An old proverb advises us not to play with edged tools lest 
we cut our fingers. It is a sin to trifle with sin. If we must 
play, we had better find harmless toys : that evil which caused 
Christ a bloody sweat is no fit theme for any man's sport. 
Playing with wickedness is a hazardous game. Sooner or later, 
if we pluck the lion of sin by the beard, it will arouse itself, 
and we shall be torn in pieces. This is true of indulgence in 
strong drink : *' Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, 
when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself 
aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an 



puritan's GARDEiH^. 239 

adder." It is equally true of all other forms of evil, especially 
of the lusts of the fiesh. Lewd words soon lead to foul deeds. 
Yet such is the folly of men that they run -dreadful risks in 
sheer wantonness, as though asps and cobras were fine play- 
mates, and devils rare merry-makers. 

^' Lord, keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins ; let 
them not have dominion over me ; then shall I be upright, 
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. ' ' 

SUNSHINE WITH EAIN. 
" As many times the sun shineth when the rain falleth, so there 
may be in the soul a mixture of spiritual rejoicing and holy mourn- 
ing ; a deep sense of God's love, and yet a mourning because of the 
relics of corruption. " 

All spiritual persons understand this. The inexperienced 
ask how a man can be ^^ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 
But this is no puzzle to a Christian. Our life is a paradox. 
Never in the world elsewhere is there such sunshine of delight 
as we enjoy, and never such rain as that which damps our 
joys. It seems at times as if heaven and hell met in our 
experience. Ours is a joy unspeakable, and yet an agony 
unutterable. We rise to the heavenlies in Christ, and sink to 
the abyss in ourselves. Those who have seen fire burning on 
the sea, trees living and flourishing upon a rock, feathers flying 
against the wind, and doves vanquishing eagles, have begun to 
see a list of marvels, all of which are to be found within the 
believer, and much more of equal or greater singularity. 

Lord, when my own experience puzzles me, let me be com- 
forted by the thought that it does not puzzle thee. What I 
know not now thou hast promised to make me know hereafter ; 
and there I leave it. 

THE SHIP AND ITS PASSENGERS. 
** Look, as in a ship some sleep, and some walk contrary to the 
ship's motion, so in the world ; some men are negligent, others keep 
bustling and stirring, and seek to resist the designs of God ; but the 
ship goes on, and the world goes on." 

Yes, a passenger may walk to the north along the deck, but 
the ship keeps on due south ; he may sleep, but the vessel 
speeds over the waves ; he may denounce its motion, but it 
holds on its way. So the heathen may rage, and the people 
imagine a vain thing, but the counsel of the Lord standeth fast 
forever. Men are free to will and to act, but omnipotent 
wdsdom rules over them despite their free agency. Not as if 
they were togs and stones does God govern men, but as 



240 FLOWERS FR03I A 

rational, intelligent, free agents he permits them to do their 
own will, and works his ow^n purposes notwithstanding. This 
is a great marvel. Men are as free as if there were no pre- 
destination, and predestination is accomplished as surely as if 
there were no free agents in the universe. AVe are full of 
wonder at this, but it is true. 

The figure before us is not perfect, but it has many merits ; 
and, at any rate, it sets out the one idea that the rebellions and 
wilfulnesses of mankind do not thwart the eternal purposes of 
the Most High. The royal vessel pursues its way whether 
men delight in its glorious progress, or rail against it, '' The 
Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice." 

THE INSULTED MEKCHANT. 
** A mercliaiit that hath a precious commodity, and one biddeth a 
mean price, he foldeth up his wares with indignation." 

We have seen the exhibitor turn away in utter disgust when 
some uninitiated spectator has offered pence where pounds 
would not have been accepted. The jeweller or artist has 
been as much offended as if he had been personally insulted 
by such a depreciation of his valuables. Do you wonder that 
the Lord God is grieved when men set a base price upon his 
priceless grace, and begin to bargain and chaffer as to what 
sins they will give up, and what duties they will perform ? 
Do you wonder that he should take his gospel away from such 
a people, and turn to others who will set more store by his 
goodness ? Not forever will Jesus cast his pearls before 
swine. Woe to that man who at last angers his God into 
turning from him, and taking the despised gospel elsewhere ! 
He well deserves to perish who counts eternal life to be of less 
value than a passing pleasure, or reckons the righteousness of 
God to be no better than his own poor works. 

PROVISIONED FOR A SIEGE. 
** When a city is besieged, the prince who would defend it doth 
not leave it to its ordinar}^ strength and the standing provisions 
which it had before, but sendeth in fresh supplies of soldiers, 
victuals, and ammunition, and such things as the present exigence 
calleth for. So doth God deal with his people ; his Spirit cometh in 
with a new supply, that they may better repel sin, and stand out in 
the hour of trial. '^ 

What supplies of food, medicine, and ammunition are 
poured into a city which has to sustain a siege ; and seldom 
do they prove to be more than are required ! Even so, in our 
time of temptation, the Lord bestows vast stores of grace, 



PUEITAI^'S GAEDEJ^. 241 

strength, comfort, and wisdom ; and yet there is need of them 
all ere the assault is over. It were well if we had a clearer 
idea of the needs of a beleaguered soul. We think far too 
lightly of the necessities which arise out of the attacks of 
Satan,^ and the blockade of the flesh. The City of Mansoul 
has no provision within itself, and if its commerce with heaven 
be cut off, black famine stares the inhabitants in the face. 
While the coast is clear it will be well to get in stores, and 
specially on those great market-days, the Sabbaths. None can 
fit us to stand a siege but that Universal Provider who daily 
feeds countless myriads of needy creatures. 

Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest when next my 
nature shall be beleaguered by the adversary. Provision me, I 
pray thee, against the siege. Give me to rejoice because thou 
hast prayed for me that my faith fail not. 

BLOWN INTO HAEBOR. 
" Men in a tempest are sometimes cast upon a place of safety 
which they had not made for by intention and foresight." 

Happy mariner, who is forced into port ! Blessed is that 
wave which throws the drowning sailor upon the rock of 
safety ! Such propitious forces are abroad at times, and 
especially in the spiritual world. We mean not to exclude 
the agency of the will when we speak of certain compulsions 
w^hich have driven men into a happiness for which they had 
not looked. *' Had I not lost my eyes," said one, " I had 
never seen my Saviour." Another attributed his spiritual 
riches to the fact that he lost all his property, and so was 
driven to his God for consolation. The utmost faith in God 
has sometimes been created by the Holy Spirit by means of 
the utter and entire failure of all visible help. Many a way- 
ward mind has been set free from the bonds of its own 
obstinate will by being yet more firmly bound by a sacred 
impulse which would not be denied. 

When we reach the heights of glory we shall ascribe our 
felicity, not to our own will or merit, but to those sweet forces 
which drew us to heaven with cords of love and bands of a 
man ; and perhaps not less to certain ruder agencies, which 
beat like hurricanes upon our pride, and sank our self-con- 
fidence in the floods, wrecking us into rest, destroying us into 
salvation. 

A PEAEL OF TO^KNOWN VALUE. 

**If a man find a pearl of great price, and knowcth not what it is, 
he maketh no more esteem of it than of a piece of glass or a common 



24:2 FLOWERS FEOM A 



bead, and is ready to sell it for a few pence. But if upon the offer 
of it to a skilful lapidary, the jeweller at first sight biddeth two or 
three thousand crowns for it, doth he not change his mind, and think 
this jewel is of greater value than he took it to be ? So here : a man 
knows not the value of his soul, and does not greatly set by it. 
Adam lost his own soul and the souls of all his posterity for an apple, 
and we sell our birthright for a mess of pottage. But when Christ, 
who made souls, and knoweth the value of them, came to recover lost 
souls, he gave himself for us ; did he not hereb}^ teach us to set a 
higher price upon them ; for nothing but his precious blood could 
redeem them ?*' 

This is a suggestive simile, and may suggest the frainework of 
a sermon on " the estimate which men set upon their souls, 
and the hints which God has given them as to their real value 
by what he has done in reference thereto. ' ' In the shop of a 
diamond-merchant at Amsterdam we saw great machinery and 
much power all brought to bear on what seemed to be a small 
piece of glass. One might be sure of the value of that trans- 
parent morsel if he would but look around and see what skill 
and labor were being expended upon it. God has laid out for 
the good of a soul the watchfulness of angels, the providence 
of this world, the glory of the next, the councils of eternity, 
liimself and all that he hath, the Holy Spirit and all his divine 
influences — yea, he spared not his only Son. Say, soul, what 
must thou be worth thus to have all heaven's thought, and 
power, and love laid out for thee ? *' What shall a man give 
in exchange for his soul F' Let not a man attempt to answer 
the question till he hath heard the Lord himself say, *' I gave 
Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. ' ' 

A POOR IMAN EOBBED. 

'* If a poor man be robbed of twenty or thirty shillings, no wonder 
if he cry and take on, because he hath no more to help himself with ; 
but now, if a rich man be robbed of such a sum, he is not much 
troubled, because he hath more at home. So a man that is justified 
by faith, and hath assurance of the favor of God, he can comfortably 
bear up against all the troubles and crosses he meets with in his way 
to heaven." 

Remember the apostle's reckoning in Romans 8 : 18 : '' For 
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.'' 
He was so rich in grace that all his losses were as nothing to 
him. One of old got his living by his losses, for he said, 
'' By these things men live, and in all these things is the life 
of my spirit :" thus spiritual riches enable us to bear temporal 
losses with great patience. It is far otherwise with the world- 



puritan's garden. 243 

ling, wLos<5 goods are his god ; for when these are taken he 
cries out like Micah, " Ye have taken away my gods which I 
made, and what liave I more ?" He to whom God is all things 
cannot be robbed, for who can overcome and despoil the 
Almighty ? 

Lord, lead me to count nothing my treasure but thyself, and 
then I may defy the thief. If I have suffered loss, let me 
make a gain thereby by prizing thee the more. 

A TANNED FACE. 

*' As a man that walks in the sun, unawares, before he thinks of 
it, his countenance is tanned ; so our hearts are defiled by the slight- 
est contact with sin." 

We have seen men who were quite fair where their hats 
covered their foreheads, and thoroughly bronzed where the 
sun had looked upon them. A man's heart had need be 
covered with a veil of holy carefulness all over, or the world 
will get at it, and brown it with evil. Some trades and 
callings are like a tropical climate, and their blackening effect 
is soon visible : certain companies are still more so ; they 
make their mark upon the best of men, and that mark is not 
to their improvement. With difficulty can a man prevent the 
world's influencing him for evil ; evil communications will 
corrupt good manners unless a sacred remedy is heartily used. 
See the effect of evil upon professors in Jeremiah's day ; he 
says : '^ Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter 
than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their 
polishing was of sapphire : their visage is blacker than a coal ; 
they are not known in the streets : their skin cleaveth to their 
bones ; it is withered, it is become like a stick." 

Let us, as much as we can, keep ourselves to ourselves, and 
go quietly through life. A man of eminence, who outlived 
the French Revolution, v/as asked how he escaped the guillo- 
tine, and he replied, '' I made myself of no reputation, and 
kept silence." Let us, like him, stay within doors. If v/e 
must go forth abroad, it is well to walk on the shady side of 
the street, by keeping as much out of the world's influence as 
we can ; and it is also wise to carry with us such holy 
thoughts and feelings as may act as a screen to ward off the 
excessive power of evil. We have no wish to become as black 
as the inhabitants of this sun-burnt clime, seeing we are not 
numbered with them, but are here as strangers and foreigners. 

Wash me, most blessed Jesus, in that sacred bath which 
thou hast prepared ; for it will make me fair forever. Black 



244 FLOWEKS FROM A 

as I now am, I shall then be whiter than snow. Renew me, 
and I shall be without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. 

THE FOOT-BACE. 

'' A true racer does not use to stand still, or look behind him, to 
see how much of the way is already past, or to see how much the 
other runners come short of him, but he sets to his business to get 
through the remainder of the race." 

The claim to perfection, which some have started, raises a 
serious question as to whether they have ever entered that race, 
of which the apostle Paul said, '' Brethren, I count not myself 
to have apprehended : but this one thing I do, forgetting 
those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those 
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus/*' Surely these 
men must be of another order to St. Paul, or must be upon 
another race-course. He saw much which he had not attained, 
and they see nothing ; he w^as all for pressing on, and they are 
at the mark already. They speak fluently of their perfection, 
and he groaned over his imperfection. 

As for us, we have no belief in these pretenders, nor do we 
wish to think about them. We would have nothing to con- 
sider but the goal and the prize. We may not rest in what we 
are, we must hasten on to w^hat we ought to be. Attainments 
and successes will breed no pride if we treat them as Paul did, 
when he regarded them as ''things which are behind,'' and 
therefore forgot them. '' Onward " be our watchword. Satis- 
faction, glorying, ease— these are not to be m.entioned among 
us. Swift as arrows from the bow we would speed toward the 
mark of our hio'h calling. The last thing that a man may utter 
is that fatal '' Rest and be thankful ;" for it marks the end of 
a progress which ought to last through life. 

Lord, if I am ever tempted to be satisfied, scourge me into 
a holy restlessness^ and make the very ground beneath me 
burning to my feet. With my Lord before me, I am a traitor 
to him if I chink the pieces of silver in my hand, and accept 
a present satisfaction in barter for higher things. 

THE WAERIOR'S THOUGHTS. 
*' A certain Grecian warrior, wherever he walked, was thinking of 
battles ; he asked himself continually, if he should be assaulted on 
such a piece of ground how he would model and dispose his army for 
his defence. A Christian should be thinking of heaven, how he may 
get thither, and what he shall enjoy there." 

To be engrossed in a pursuit is the readiest way to success 



PURTTAK'S GARDEN". M5 

in it. We are thoroughly alive unto God when we get so far 
as even to eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Where our 
treasure is there will our heart be also. The object which is 
supreme in our heart will continually make itself prominent in 
our life. When Joshua saw the angel of the Lord, he gave 
him a military challenge, for his whole soul was in the war. 
The color of our chosen occupation will tinge our whole 
existence. *' For to me to live is Christ,'' saith the apostle. 
The musician will be moving his fingers upon the table as if 
he were playing a tune ; the sailor will roll about in his walk 
on shore as if he were still on board ship ; and even so will the 
soul that communes with God rehearse its joys when it is busy 
with other matters. When God and heaven bear our thoughts 
away, it is good evidence that we are preparing for eternal 
felicity ; for he must needs be soon in heaven who already 
hath heaven in him. When heavenly things take up our souls, 
our souls will soon be taken up to heaven. 

Lord, let me think of thee and thy word all the while I am 
awake ; and when I sleep, if I dream at all, let my imagination 
still tend thy way. Oh that I were fully and only filled with 
thee, till everywhere and at all times my every thought were 
thine ! With all thy ransomed ones I would sing — 

*' In full and glad surrender we give ourselves to thee, 
Thine utterly, and only, and evermore to be 1 
O Son of God, who lovest us, we will be thine alone, 
And all we are, and all wq have, shall henceforth be thine own !'* 

NATUKE TENDS TO ITS AUTHOE. 

** Trees, that receive life from the earth and the sun, send forth 
their branches to receive the sun, and spread their roots into the 
earth, which brought them forth. Fishes will not live out of the 
water that breedeth them. Chickens are no sooner out of the shell 
but they shroud themselves under the feathers of the hen by whom 
they were at first hatched. The little lamb runneth to its dam, 
though there be a thousand sheep of the same wool and color ; as if 
it said, ' Here I received that which I have, and here will I seek that 
which I want.' By such a native inbred desire do the saints run to 
God to seek a supply of strength and nourishment." 

This is an excellent lesson for every believer. All our 
instincts should lead us to our God. We ought not to need 
so much as directing, much less impelling, toward the great 
source of our spiritual life. We ought as naturally to seek 
after the Lord from day to day as the spark seeks the sun, or 
the river the ocean, or the sheep its pasture, or the bird its 
nest. '' O God, thou art my God ; early will I seek thee," 



246 FLOWERS FKOM A 

should be the perpetual cry of our heart. Onward and up- 
ward be still our movement, a secret ardor ever burning in us 
toward the Lord our God. 

To whom else should we go ? This question has never 
received an answer, and never will receive one. We are 
bound to dwell in God or perish. As we find all in God, so 
we find nothing out of him. What the fish would be without 
water, or the chick without the hen, or the tree without the 
earth — that we should be without our God. It is the height 
of folly for us to attempt a thought alone ; there is but one 
greater absurdity, and that is to venture upon an act without 
him. '' Abide in me" is the voice of him in whom our life 
abides. Let us not be deaf to his tender warning. 

SUNSHINE. 

*' A little sunshine enliveneth the poor creatures, the birds fMi 
a-singing that were melancholy and sad before in cloudy weather ; 
all things are cheered and comforted when the sun shines." 

Just so. How often have we seen the change which is 
wrought by clear shining after rain ! It has seemed as though 
heaven had come down in love to dry earth's tears and bedeck 
her with raiment of fair colors. Spiritually, the type is 
carried out in delightful fashion. The Lord's appearing sheds 
a glory upon our infirmities, and transforms our trials into 
triumphs. His presence removes the dulness which else hangs 
like a cloud on the best of our conditions, and in this way 
lightens all our glooms. His countenance is to his saints as a 
morning without clouds, it brings with it a surprise of joy. 
Till Jesus communed with me I did not know that I could be 
so happy. I heard more birds singing in my soul than I had 
ever dreamed could have dwelt within me. Never had my sad 
soul imagined that human life was half as capable of divine 
bliss, or earth within a thousand leagues so near to heaven. 
Truly it is worth while to have lived, if for nothing more than 
to hav^e had an hour's fellowship with the Well-beloved. 
Earthly joy is no more to be compared with it than a lamp in 
a coal-mine can be likened to the sun in the heavens. 

Oh, my God, I thank thee for having made me, because 
thou hast made me able to walk in the light of thy counte- 
nance. Now thou dost shine upon me, my summer-tide has 
come. 



247 



DOGS AND CATS WHEEE THERE AEE NO CHILDEEN. 

** They that lack children take pleasure in little dogs and cats." 

We have known houses turned into stables or menageries by 
those whose love, which should hav^e gone out to human beings, 
went out to dogs and cats. People must have objects of affec- 
tion, and if they have not the better they choose the worse. 
Those who disdain to live for God will live for their own 
bellies. Those who do not care for the great doctrines of 
revelation are usually disputatious over trifling opinions. 
Those who do not spend their time and strength in winning 
souls for Jesus often attach an inordinate importance to a 
national habit or a sanitary regulation. If we do not live in 
all seriousness for a noble object, the probability is tbat we 
shall industriously trifle our lives away in doing nothing. Are 
we prepared for this ? Will we be numbered with cat-wor- 
shippers and dog- adorers ? 

My God, grant me grace to love thy children, and make 
much of them. Save me from petty and paltry objects. May 
the objects of my life's pursuit be worthy of an immortal 
spirit, worthy of an heir of heaven. Deliver me from whims 
and hobbies, and nerve me for the infinite possibilities which 
are opening up before me ! 

THE GARDENER AND THE ROOTS. 
'' A gardener knoweth what roots are in the ground long before 
they appear, and what flowers they will produce." 

Look over the garden in winter, and you will not know that 
there is any preparation for spring ; but the gardener sees in 
his mind's eye=— here a circle of golden cups, as if set out for a 
royal banquet, and there a cluster of snow-white beauties, 
drooping with excess of modest purity. His eye knows where 
the daffodils and anemones lie asleep, waiting to rise in all 
their loveliness ; and he has' learned the secret of the primroses 
and the violets, who wait in ambush till the first warm breath 
of spring shall bid them reveal themselves. Even thus doth 
the Lord know his hidden ones long before the day of their 
manifestation with him. He sees his church before his min- 
isters see it, and declares concerning heathen Corinth, ^' I have 
much people in this city.'' 

The figure may be applied to the garden of the soul What 
graces are planted in the renewed heart, waiting their season, 
the Creator of those graces knows right well ! He sees our 
faith, and love, and hope, and patience, long before we can see 



248 FLOWERS PROH A 

them ; yea, and lie discerns tbem when we ourselves question 
their existence. He not only knows them that are his, but all 
that is his within them. Nothing of his implanting is hidden 
from his inspection. Bulbs and seeds of holiness are sown in 
the righteous, and therefore are out of their sight ; but he that 
placed them where they are has marked the spot, and not one 
of them shall die. Expectantly he waits to see his people's 
lives become '' as beds of spices, as sweet flowers." 

Lord, it is because thou knowest all things that thou knowest 
that I love thee. Wert thou not omniscient, I fear thou hadst 
not discovered my sadly feeble love, buried r^ it is beneath so 
much sin and carnality. Lord, cause the sacred seed to grow, 
and then I too shall be assured of its existence, and my present 
questions and doubts shall flee away ! 

KESPONSIBILITY OF SEEVANTS. 

'* If a rich farmer set a poor man to work to dig a ditch, or cast tip 
a bank ; if he be afterward troubled for it, his master is concerned to 
bear him harmless. David saith, ' O Lord, txulj I am thy servant ; 
I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid : thou hast loosed 
my bonds.' While we are engaged about our Master's business, and 
in his work, he is engaged to protect us, and bear us out in it." 

If what we do is done under the command of God, the 
responsibility of its result does not lie with us. He who made 
the law will answer for those who keep it. If a man should, 
through obedience to the law of the Sabbath, lose his situation, 
his poverty would be no fault of his. If through strict honesty 
he should be despised of his employer, and forfeit his place, 
he need not blame himself for his dismission. These things 
are to be taken joyfully as a part of our living sacrifice to God. 
We need not fear that God w^ill fail to justify us if we walk in 
the way of his commandments. Our quarrel is his quarrel if it 
be occasioned by our following his orders. Jesus asks of every 
persecutor, *' Why persecutest thou me ?'' When his servants 
are molested he is wounded. He will see us through with the 
business, and teach our opposers that in us they oppose him 
also. 

When we go a way of our own choosing, w^e must bear our 
own hazard ; but when our path is mapped out for us, we have 
the Lord engaged with us, and his name and honor would be 
compromised should we fail. Oh, happy condition ! We 
are in the same boat with Jesus. lie bade us trust, promising 
us salvation by faith, and, as we have trusted, he must and 
will save us. He bade us come out from the world, and, as 



249 



we have come out, lie must be a Father unto us. He bids us 
preach the gospel, and, as we do preach it, he must save men 
thereby. Let us more and more pledge the honor of his name, 
resting sure that he will never allow his orders to be dis- 
credited. 

ASKING IN A PERSON'S NAIVIE. 

" If you send a child or servant to a friend for a thing in your 
name, the request is yours ; and he that denieth the child or servaiit, 
denieth you. Jesus Christ hath bidden you ask in his name ; so that 
in effect your request becomes Christ's request. God can no more 
deny your request in Christ's name than he can deny Christ himself." 

This is the true meaning of asking in Christ's name. It is a 
higher plea than — for Jesus' sake. The one pleads the 
Saviour's merit as a penitent sinner ; the other urges his au- 
thority as a favored friend. Jesus permits his disciple to make 
request in his Master's stead, using the name and dignity of 
Christ as his warrant. Armed w^ith this argument our prayers 
become akin to the intercession of the Lord himself. Herein 
lies at once the power of prayer and also its limit. For who 
will dare to use "• the name which is above every name" except 
with surest right to do so ? I may beg for Christ's sake when 
my petition is somewhat doubtful ; but the royal seal must only 
be set to requests which the most searching examination com- 
mends to our judgment as according to the divine promise, and 
needful for God's glory. We are trusted with the Prince's 
signet-ring, but gracious discretion must be used in its employ- 
ment. Vv hen the Spirit of God prompts the desire, and faith 
sees how well Jesus deserves the blessing, and how surely he 
himself would have sought it of the Father, then prayer is 
power invincible, for it is the pierced hand held open before 
the Father's approving heart. Cannon have been called " the 
last arguments of kings ;" but the name of Jesus is the 
master -argument of the King's children. 

Lord Jesus, cause me to know in my daily experience the 
glory and sweetness of thy name, and then teach me how to 
use it in my prayer, so that I may be even like Israel, a prince 
prevailing wnth God. Thy name is my passport, and secures 
me access ; thy name is my plea, and secures me answer ; thy 
name is my honor, and secures me glory. Blessed name, thou 
ait honey in my mouth, music in my ear, heaven in my heart, 
and all in all to all my being ! 



250 FLOWERS PROM A 

A FATHEE'S LOYE AND A CHILD'S LOYE. 
' * A father cannot forget how many children he hath. He that 
leadeth us by the hand wherever we go knoweth where and how we 
go." ^ ^ 

This is a very simple statement, but exceedingly full of 
consolation. We, being evil, do not forget our children ; we 
know our own, and do not omit even the last little one from 
our tender memory ; how much more shall our heavenly 
Father think upon all his own, and have them under his 
watchful eye ! It is a pleasure to us to think of our children, 
for they are parts of ourselves. We could almost as soon 
cease to be as cease to remember them. Our Father above is 
all a Father can be and more : we are poor and needy, yet the 
Lord thinketh upon us. 

It were well if the converse of all this were true. We, alas ! 
as children, too often forget our Father, and bear ourselves 
toward him otherwise than is meet. If we treated our God as 
good children do a loving father, our conduct toward him 
would lead us to a holy, happy life. We should long to be 
with him, and to be happy in his company ; we should be 
jealous for the honor of his name, and feel pleased when we 
heard others extol him. He would be our rest, confidence, 
pattern, love, and delight. Miss Havergal, in her own sweet 
way, has worked out the ideal treatment of a father, and we can 
readily spiritualize it. 

' * How do you love your father ? 
Oh, in a thousand ways ! 
I think there's no one like him 

So worthy of my praise. 
I tell him all my troubles, 

And ask him what to do ; 
I know that he will give to me 
His counsel kind and true." 

Nor does the relationship merely lead us to expect from him, 
it helps us to yield to him anything which he desires from us. 

" Then every little service 

Of hand, or pen, or voice, 
Becomes, if he has asked it, 

The service of my choice. 
And from my own desires 

'Tis not so hard to part, 
If once I know I follow so 

His wiser will and heart." 

How it helps us in the hour of trial to find a father near in 
all the tenderness of his love ! The same charming poetess 
tells us in a succeeding verse — 



puritan's garde]^'. 251 

* * Once I was ill and suffering 

Upon a foreign shore, 
And longed to see my father 

As I never longed before. 
He came : his arm around me ; 

I leaned upon his breast ; 
I did not long to feel more strong. 

So sweet that childlike rest." 

Whatsoever a tender daughter would be to a kind, con- 
siderate father, that we should spiritually be unto our Lord. 
Let us muse over the model, and learn from it what our highest 
relationship deserves at our hand. 

Lord, I would reflect thy love ! Help me to remember 
thee, because thou dost withoat fail remember me. 

LOOKERS-ON AND PLAYERS. 

' ' They that stand upon the shore may easily say to those that are 
in the midst of the waves, and conflicting for life or death, Sail thus 
and sail thus ! But what of that r When we are well we give coun- 
sel to the sick ; but, if we were ill ourselves, how should we act ?' ' 

Yes, we are usually ready with our good advice for others ; 
but w^hat are we willing to do ourselves ? Men who never smelt 
powder know exactly how a commander should have acted in a 
battle ; probably they would themselves have run away at the 
first shot. Safely on land, the wiseacre decides most positive- 
ly how the pilot should steer — which sail should be hoisted, 
and which should be put away. If he were on board the 
laboring bark, he w^ould be lying down below, forgotten as a 
dead man out of mind. This ought to render us a little more 
difiident in our advising. It is rather aw^kward when, after 
having prescribed for others, we fall sick ourselves, and then 
refuse our own remedies : yet many have done so. It is sad 
when the preacher of patience is himself petulant, and the 
advocate of faith is himself dubious. No : we must teach 
more by our example than by our advice, or else we shall be 

; poor pleaders for the right. 

i Few things are more galling than to be at our wits^ end in 
managing a diflScult matter, and then to be charged and coun- 
selled by some intermeddling novice who could not even under- 
stand our difiiculty, much less assist us out of it. When 
Balaam's ass spoke, it uttered sound sense, and we shall never 
welcome the speech of another such animal until it has as 
weighty a message to deliver. Alas ! we do not always suffer 
fools gladly : though suifer them we do. We have wished 



252 FLOWERS FKOM A 

ourselves deaf at times when the most idle nonsense has been 
proffered us in the moment of greatest suspense. 

O Lord Jesus, we bless thee that thy counsel comes to us as 
that of experience ! Thou art on the sea with us. Thou hast 
the tone and manner of one who is tied in us and with us. 
Our Counsellor art thou ; and thus our surest helper, because 
thy counsel is infallible. 

\/ THE LUTE UNTUNED. 

*' As a lute that is not played upon, but hangs by the wall, soon 
grows out of order for want of use ; so, if we do not constantly and 
diligently exercise ourselves in godliness, our hearts grow dead and 
vain." 

It is the old story of the unused key. It would seem that 
there is no worse abuse of a good thing than to abstain from 
its use. While it lies idle it lies ill. Grace must be exercised 
toward God in devout contemplation, wrestling prayer, or 
adoring praise ; and it must be exercised among men in 
patience, zeal, charity, and holy example ; or, like an arm 
which has long been bound by a man's side, it will become 
withered. Some enemies were left in Canaan for the sole 
reason that the armies of Israel might not forget the art of 
war ; and we, too, may expect troubles to exercise our graces 
in conflict, if we do not ourselves exercise them in happier 
service. The Lord will not allow the inner life of his people 
to degenerate because of inaction ; nor ought we to allow it. 
Loud calls to energy are sounding forth on every hand. A 
curse will come upon us, like that invoked upon Meroz of old, 
if we come not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty. 

To return to our author's figure. Are we like a lute upon 
the wall ? Are the strings all out of order ? Tune us. Lord, 
and then bring music out of us. AYhy should a single instru- 
ment in the w^hole concert be silent when the Lord is to be 
praised ? ^' Awake up, my glory ; awake, psaltery and harp : 
I myself will awake early." 

** Be near me, Lord, and tune my notes, 

And make them sweet and strong, 
To waft thy words to many a heart. 

Upon the wings of song. 
I know that men will listen, 

For my very heart shall sing. 
And it shall be thy praise alone. 

My glorious Lord and King.'* 



PURITAiT'S GARDEJ^. 253 

THE FISH IN A PAIL. 

'* We are now imperfect and straitened ; like a fisji in a pail, or 
small vessel of water, which cannot keep it alive : it would fain be in 
the ocean, or swimming in the broad and large rivers. So we are 
pent lip, and cannot do what we would ; but we long for a larger 
estate, namely, to be filled with all the fulness of God. That holi- 
ness which we have now, maketh us look and long for more ; and, 
surely, this desire after holiness was never designed for our torment ; 
there must be something to answer to the desire excited." 

It is even so ; we are now cribbed, cabined, and confined, 
and our renewed spirit feels itself in bondage. The fish cannot 
half so much desire the river as we desire a nobler sphere 
wherein the better life may have due scope and range. As a 
lion goeth to and fro in his den, impatient of restraint, so doth 
our spirit move restlessly after better thing's. We are not 
content with the measure of our liberty, the tether of our 
range. We are like the young chick which is pecking at the 
shell which shuts it in ; we perceive that there is very much 
outside of our prison-wall, and we are anxious to break forth. 
Is not this the testimony of all saintly men ? Are not the 
bonds felt ? Are we not groaning under them ? 

The argument of our author is well' drawn, and incontro- 
vertible. God does not create desires without also providing 
corresponding objects : for thirst there is drink, for hunger 
there is food, for the eye there is light. So also for the soul 
which huno;ers and thirsts after righteousness there is a fillino;. 
The renewed heart shall yet see the perfection for which it 
pines, and the holy mind shall enjoy the communion with God 
for which it pants. 

Be glad, O my heart, because of thine own pangs ! If thou 
wert now content, there w^ould be in thee no ensigns and 
evidences of better things yet to be revealed. Thy groanings 
and yearnings are prophecies of guaranteed perfection. If 
thou wert of the earth, thou wouldst be satisfied with earth ; 
but because thou hast a higher nature, thou art not at home 
amid these lower things. There remaineth therefore a rest for 
thee, a home for thee, a heaven for thee. 

THE SENTINEL. 

" ^Vhen a sentinel is set upon the watch, he must not come off 
without the commander's leave, and till he is discharged by author- 
ity. God hath set us in a vv^atch, and we must not leave our ground 
till we have done all that is enjoined upon us, and receive a fair dis- 
charge." 

The instance of the sentinel in Pompeii, whose skeleton was 



254 FLOWERS FROM A 

found erect at the city gate, when all but he had fled, need not 
be repeated in words ; but it should be copied by each one of 
us in his life. If the earth should reel, it is ours to keep our 
place. If set to preach the gospel, let us maintain the truth, 
though philosophy should thin the number of our comrades till 
we remain alone. If commanded to teach a few little children, 
let us be as faithful to our trust as if we had been set to lead a 
legion of angels. Imagine what the universe would be if the 
stars forsook their marches, and the sun forbore to shine ; yet 
this would only be among inanimate objects an imitation of the 
conduct of men who quit their posts, and leave their work 
undone. This is the spirit out of which fiends are made : first 
neglect, then omission, then treachery and rebellion. 

It is such an honor to bear his Majesty's commission that 
King Jesus should have around him the most joyously faithful 
band of servants. '' Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it'' 
was Mary's advice in her day, and the spirit of it should abide 
with all Christians to the end of time. Where God's command 
has fixed us, there let us abide at all hazards. Our life, our 
honor, and our heaven lie, not in rising out of the place which 
our Master has allotted to us, but in fulfilling its duties to the 
uttermost. A sentinel must not leave his post even to gather 
pearls or diamonds ; nor must we forsake our duty in order to 
acquire the highest honors. It matters nothing how well we 
have done other things if we neglect the thing. God bids us 
do this, and if we fail it will be no excuse to be able to say — 
we have done that. If the watcher forsakes his post it will 
not avail that he climbed a mountain, or swam a river : he was 
not where he was ordered to be. 

MAETYKS IN BEAES' SKINS. 
*'It was a fashion, in the primitive persecutions, to invest Chris- 
tians with bears' skins, and then to bait them as bears ; and it is a 
usual practice of Satan and his instruments, first to blast the reputa- 
tion of religious persons, and then to persecute them as offenders." 

It is written of the worthies of old that *' they had trial of 
cruel mockings." Teitullian says that in the primitive times 
the saints were called herds of asses, vile fellows, the disciples 
of a man crucified, Galileans, Nazarites, eaters of men's flesh, 
and drinkers of men's blood. The heathen painted the God 
of the Christians with the head of an ass, and with a book in 
his hand, to signify that, though Christians pretended to 
knowledge, they were a company of fools. 

The like custom remains still. Good men are first slandered 



PURITA^T^S GARDE>s". 255 

and then censured. They lay to our charge deeds which we 
never dreamed of, and then they pile on the adjectives of 
denunciation, and condemn us without mercv. Thanks be to 
God, a saint in a bear's skin is none the less a saint : the Lord 
knows the wolf in the sheep's skin, and the sheep in the bear's 
skin : he is not deceived by falsehood so as to judge his 
children unjustly. Not even for the present are the reputa- 
tions of the godly injured in the sight of God, and as for the 
future, they shall suffer no tarnishing. Soon there shall be a 
resurrection of good names as well as of bodies : the Lord shall 
restore the honor and renown of each slandered believer. 

Meanwhile, let us not be so easily led into harsh judgments 
as we have been. Let us refuse to regard our own brethren as 
wild beasts because wicked men thrust the bear's skin upon 
them. From us, at least, let them receive tokens of the 
charity which thinketh no evil. Persistently let each follower 
of the Lord Jesus say of reproach cast upon a brother, '' I 
will not believe it." A believer in Christ should be an un- 
believer in the world' i many lies : this rule would rob slander 
of half its power. By holy confidence in our fellow-Christians 
we should snap the bowstring of malice, and burn its arrows in 
the fire. 

As for ourselves, we are not made of such pliant stuff that 
we would alter our course to escape the calumny of men. AYe 
will not move a hair's-breadth because of 

*' the dread of tyrant custom, and the fear 
Lest fops shoTild censure us, and fools should sneer." 

PRIMING. 

* ' A lower degree of faith maketh way for a higher, as the priming 
of the wood maketh it receptive of other colors." 

Painters often use a paint at the first which is to be the 
preparation for quite another color ; red is commonly thus 
employed. So, in the work of grace, there may come first a 
dogmatical faith (as Manton calls it), which receives the doc- 
trine of the word of God as truth. This does not save the 
soul, but it is a needful preparative for that receptive and 
trusting faith, by which salvation is actually received. Dog- 
matic faith is the priming upon which faith of a saving color is 
laid by the Master-workman. 

Much the same is true of those gracious mfluences by which 
a man is made a willing and attentive hearer, and a respecter of 
the Sabbath and of the worship of God. All this may exist 



256 FLOWERS PKOM A 

and yet there may be no saving faitli ; still it is the *' priming" 
for the higher work. Faith cometh by hearing. Hence the 
value of all healthy moral influence, instruction, and example. 
None of these can save, but they may lead up to salvation. 
The paralyzed man was not cured by his friends, or by the 
bed, or by the ropes, but these brought him where Jesus was, 
and so he was healed. Make a man sober, and he is all the 
more likely to mind the preacher's admonitions : give him the 
power to read, and he may study the Scriptures. Tliese things 
are not grace, but they may be stepping-stones to grace : they 
are not the permanent color, but only the priming ; yet it 
would never do to neglect them for that reason. He would be 
an unwise painter who put on the woodwork nothing but the 
priming ; and he would be far more unwise who rested content 
with mere preparatory reforms. Yet in order to avoid this 
evil it is not necessary to forego the priming altogether, or to 
neglect anything by which a man is made even the least better. 
Oh that I may be willing to do anything by which souls 
may be helped to a blessing ! If I cannot actually heal the 
man's wounds, let me not refuse to wash them, or to set the 
wounded man upon my beast. He who w^ill only do those 
works which are of the highest and utmost use is not so humble 
as he should be. Lord, make mo willing to wash men's feet, 
if for the present I cannot w^in their souls. Incline me, my 
Lord, to teach a child his letters, or to reason with a drunkard, 
or to instruct a peasant in thrift, since any one of these may 
help to something better ; for I know that everything which is 
pure and honest is on the side of Christ and his salvation. 

MALICIOUS WASTE. 

*' He would be a cruel man who should cast his proyisions and 
superflaities into the street, and deny them to the poor ; or should 
allow his drink to run into the kennel, rather than that the thirsty 
should taste a drop of it. Such are we to God ; we know not what 
to employ our thoughts upon, and yet we will not think of his name. 
We will go musing upon vanity all the day long, and thus grinding 
chaff rather than we will take good corn into the mill." 

Well put ! We meet with persons upon whose hands time 
hangs heavily ; they have nothing to do, and are dying of 
ennui, AVhy will they thus spend their time in waste ? Yet 
all the while they give not God a thought, nor spend a little 
time in reading his word, or in conversing with him in prayer. 
Have they all their days on hand, and yet will they not afford 
their God an hour ? Are they full of time even to a surfeit, 



PURITA]S^'S GARDEK. 257 



and yet cannot they give ten minutes' space to tlieir Maker ? 
Well does our author speak of cruelty. Was ever such cruelty 
on earth as this denial of an hour of our superfluous time to 
God ? AVill we rather waste it, or defile it, than give him a 
portion of it ? Must we invent pastimes to pass time away, and 
yet refuse ten minutes for meditation ? 

Oh t?iat this little parable might meet some careless eye, 
and through the eye pierce the heart ! What, will you sooner 
kill time at cards, or with a novel, or in utter idleness, than do 
your greatest Benefactor the honor of thinkiug of him ? Is he 
so distasteful to you that you count it a bore, a burden, a bug- 
bear even to hear his sacred name ? Come, do thyself this 
favor — to give the next hour to God and to thine own soul. 
Your cruelty to your God will prove to be cruelty to yourself. 
Do not persevere in it, but yield to your heavenly Friend a 
portion of your weary time. May be you will thus find out a 
way of never being weary again in this fashion — find out, in 
fact, the way to make time pass like a river which flows over 
golden sands, with a paradise on either bank. 

SQUABBLING WITH A SERVANT. 
^' Many a time a brabble falleth. out between a man and his lusts ; 
but he delayeth, and all cometh to nothing. In a heat we bid a 
naughty servant begone ; but he lingereth, and before the next morn- 
ing all is cool and quiet, and he is again in favor." 

Ungodly men have their quarrels with their favorite sins on 
various accounts ; but these are like children's pets with one 
another, soon over, because they come of passion, and not 
from principle. An unholy person will fall out with sin 
because it has injured his health or his credit, or has brought 
him into difficulties with his neighbors ; but when these 
temporary results are ended he falls in love again with the 
same iniquity. Thus we have seen the drunkard loathing his 
excess when his eyes were red, and his head was aching ; but 
ere the sun went down the quarrel was ended, and he and 
Bacchus were rolling in the gutter together. Our enmity to 
sin should be based upon sound knowledge and solid reason, 
and be wrought in us by the Spirit of God, and then it vv^ill lead 
us to join in solemn league with the Lord who hath war with 
Amalek throughout all generations. AVe must have no peace 
with sin ; nay, not with the least sin. Our hate of evil must 
be as everlasting as the love of God. 

Of old, converted Israelites cast their idols to the moles and 
to the bats — away from sight with the moles, away from light 



258 FLOWERS FROM A 

with the bats. Our detestation must lead us to put sin among 
the dead and the forgotten. So far from ever entering into 
amity with it, we must regard it as a dead and corrupted thing, 
forever abandoned to silence and the worm. As heaven and 
hell will never unite, so must it be plain that a saint and sin 
wull never come together on any terms whatever. 

Lord, I pray thee keep me ever in desperate earnest in my 
war with sin. Forbid that I should trifle in this conflict, or 
grow cold in it. Let me be bound to never-ending warfare 
v/ith my own sin, and never may I be pacified till Christ has 
utterly crushed the foe. Like thy servant David, I would hate 
every false way. 

THE RIVER SWOLLEN BY BEING DAMMED. 

** Corruption, the more it is opposed the more it stormeth and 
groweth outrageous ; as a river swell eth by reason of dams and 
banks, which are raised against it. Corruptions rage against re- 
straints till the floods break loose." 

This figure is a good one. Corrupt desires will often lie 
quiet till they are earnestly opposed, and then they swell and 
rage. The gracious man sets himself with resolution to over- 
come a habit, and, like a beast at bay, it fights tooth and nail 
as if for dear life. The more he prays, the more he mortifies 
himself; the more he avoids the sin, the more does it appear 
to force itself upon him. The water flows easily enough down 
the unimpeded bed of the river, and it will readily enough 
overflow and cover the meadows ; but once put up an embank- 
ment, or attempt to stem the torrent, and it chafes and rages, 
and displays all its force. So sin may be quiet ; but when 
grace enters the heart it revives, resists, and raises rebellion, 
setting the soul into a horrible tumuU. 

We must not think that the work of sanctification has ceased 
because impetuous passions are more clearly perceived, and the 
power of the flesh is more deeply deplored. It is possible that 
the energy of inbred sin may become all the more apparent 
because through divine grace it is more strenuously resisted. 
When the vital energy is grer.t, it throws out upon the surface 
diseases which, with a feebler vitality, would have lain smoulder- 
ing within : when spiritual life is forceful, it hunts to the 
surface evils which else would have festered in the heart. 

There are times v/ith the ungodly man when all goes smooth- 
ly, and the current of his life flows placidly ; but, neverthe- 
less, the whole stream is polluted from the fountain-head to the 
outfall, though he knows it not. With the godly man life's 



259 



inward stream is seldom thus deceitfully smooth. The Chris- 
tian's old nature is opposed at every turn by his faith, repent- 
ance, prayers, and other dams and embankments of grace ; 
and hence the dashing of the waves, and the roaring and the 
swelling of the evil torrent. Even the pure stream of the river 
of the water of life, which flows into him from the throne of 
God, for a while only creates a greater tumult. The waters will 
not blend, and hence they contend one with another till the 
man is placed in the position of Paul's ship when it fell into a 
place where two seas met. Truly, the entrance of Christ into 
the heart, though it ends in ultimate rest, yet for a while 
brings not peace, but a sword. 

When a man dreams that he is perfect, and therefore ceases to 
fight against his secret sins, all seems well ; but let him look 
into the depths of his heart, and behold the corruptions which 
jsl umber there, and let him seek to expel them ; and a battle 
■will begin, compared with which the strife of the warrior and 
the garments rolled in blood are as nothing. The heart is rent 
in pieces by the opposing parties, neither does it seem possible 
to live because of the conflict. Let us not despair while this 
fierce contest is going on : we are but suffering with the 
universe of which we form a part, for ' ' the whole creation 
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." These 
groans and pangs are bringing on that glorious birth out of 
which shall come the new heavens and the new earth. Even 
so it is with us : our inward travail and sore conflict will work 
out an immortal perfection, which is the consummation of the 
work of the Spirit in the soul. When the waves rage terribly, 
let us remember that " the Lord on high is mightier than the 
noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. ' ' 
He will quell the opposition, and in due time dry up the rivers 
of inbred sin, destroying the very fountains thereof, and giving 
to his people ineffable rest and unutterable delight. 

O my Lord, give me grace to curb every evil tendency 
within myself, and the more I perceive that these evil affec- 
tions chafe and rebel, the more determined may I be that I 
will dam them up, and that they shall not hav^e their way. 
Only help thou me, and as the struggle grows more arduous, 
let thy grace become more plenteous. Surely in this conflict 
all power must come from thee, for thou alone canst impart 
the strength that I need. Hast thou not said, ^' Behold, at 
my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness ?" 
Arise, Lord, let not sin prevail, but get to thyself the victory 
in me. 



260 FLOWERS FHOM A 

BABBI JOSEPH'S LOVE TO THE SYNAGOGUE. 

*' I have once and again read of one Kabbi Joseph, who, being 
allured by the hope of great gain, to teach Hebrew, at a place where 
there was no synagogue, is said to have brought forth this Scripture 
as his reason for refusing : * The law of thy mouth is better unto me 
than thousands of gold and silver." 

Well done, Rabbi Joseph ! We greatly fear that there are 
few of thy kindred who are of thy mind ; for the heart of 
Israel seems to be set upon the precious metals. Nor can we 
blame Israel much, for the same is ail too true concernincr those 
who call themselves Christians. The chink of guineas is rare 
music even to them. 

The greatest worldly advantages cannot compensate for the 
loss of spiritual privileges, and yet we know many who scarcely 
take this matter into consideration in the choice of their pur- 
suits and positions in life. 

A tradesman is earning a competence, and is able to attend 
the house of God, and to give part of his time and talents to 
the service of the church ; and yet he thinks it to be advisable 
to cumber himself with extra worldly servitude, and thereby to 
render himself unable either to profit the church or to be 
profited himself by the services of the Lord's house. Is this 
the way of wisdom ? Can this man say that God's words are 
more desired by him than gold, yea, than much fine gold ? 

A young man is in a fair position, where he has godly 
surroundings, and every opportunity for spiritual progress ; 
and yet, for the sake of a few prounds more he puts himself 
into an un-Christian household, and loses every opportunity of 
uniting with his brethren in holy work and worship. Is this 
as it should be ? Does not Rabbi Joseph greatly shame such a 
backsliding Ephraim ? 

If I were to choose a dwelling-house I would wish to be 
known as Justus was — for he was " a man that worshipped 
God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue." I would 
hope to reverse the proverb, and prove that the nearer the 
church the nearer to God. Of course one's calling, health, or 
circumstances might compel another choice ; but I would ever 
give preference to a habitation near to a gospel ministry. If 
I were to choose a trade, I would select one which gave me 
leisure for the service of the Lord Jesus. If I had the option 
of my condition in life, I would rather have less earth and 
more heaven than more earth and less heaven. It argues a 
poor state of spiritual health when the mass of Christian pro- 
fessors estimate their position solely and entirely by the money 



which it yields them. Surely they know, unless they are 
hypocrites ingrain, that a man's life consists far more in the 
devotion \vhicii he enjoys than in the treasure which he ac- 
cumulates. 

My God, grant me grace ever to put the first first, and the 
last last. Let me use Paul's scales, which were the balances of 
the sanctuary, and reckon that gain to be loss which is gained 
by loss of communion with thee, and that profit to be unprofit" 
able which renders me less profitable to thee. 

A LEAN-TO shed; 
" Many men owe their religion, not to grace, but to the favor of 
the times ; they follow it because it is in fashion, and they can pro- 
fess it at a cheap rate, because none contradict it. They do not 
build upon the rock, but set up a shed leaning to another man's 
house, which costs them nothing." 

The idea of a lean-to religion is somewhat rough, but 
eminently suggestive. Weak characters cannot stand alone, 
like mansions ; but must needs lean on others, like the miser- 
able shops which nestle under certain Continental cathedrals. 
Lender the eaves of old customs many build their plaster nests, 
like swallows. Such are good, if good at all, because their 
patrons made virtue the price of their patronage. They love 
honesty because it prov^es to be the best policy, and piety 
because it serves as an introduction to trade with saints. Their 
religion is little more than courtesy to other men's opinions, 
civility to godliness. 

Alas for an age when this sort of thing abounds ! It is an 

injury to the architecture of godliness to be encumbered with 

these pitiful hovels. As parasites suck the life out of the 

goodly tree, so do these pretenders injure those to whom they 

cling with the servile homao-e of hirelino- adulation. To them- 

11.. . ^ ® 

selves their vain profession and man-pleasing are a presag'e of 

destruction : for at the last day all must fall into eternal ruin 

which has not its own foundation on the rock. Our lives will 

be weighed one by one in personal judgment, and no other 

man can add an ounce to aid us if we are found wanting. The 

well-founded and well-compacted structure of the sincerely 

gracious will survive the time when once more the Lord shall 

shake not only earth but also heaven ; but that frail fabric 

which leans on mortal aid will perish in that dread convulsion. 

Lord, make me a self-contained man. Supported by thee, 

and by thee alone, may I be unmoved, though all other men 

should leave thee, and though the fashion of my company 



362 FLOWERS FROM A 

should be opposed to all godliness. Then sbalt thou have 
glory through me. 

EICHES OF CHILDEEN AND IVIEN. 
" The more abundance of truly valuable things a man hath, the 
mora he hath of true riches ; a child counteth himself rich when he 
hath a great many pins, and points, and cherry-stones, for these suit 
his childish age and fancy ; a worldly man counteth himself rich 
when he hath a great store of gold and silver, or lands and heritages, 
or bills and bonds ; but a child of God counteth himself rich v/hen 
he hath God for his Portion, Christ to be his Kedeemer, and the 
Spirit for his Guide, Sanctifier, and Comforter ; v/hich is as much 
above a carnal man's estate in the world, as a carnal man's estate is 
above a child's toys and trifles ; yea, infinitely more." 

It is above all things desirable that we adopt a correct scale 
of estimates. When we make our personal audit, w^e shall fall 
into gTievous error if the principles of our reckoning are not 
thoroughly accurate. If we reckon brass as silver, and silver 
as gold, we shall dream that we are rich w^hen we are in 
penury. In taking stock of our own condition, let us be sure 
only to reckon that for riches which is really riches to us. 
"Wealth to the worldling is not wealth to the Christian. His 
currency is different, his vaulables are of another sort. 

Am I to-day poorer in money than I was ten years ago ; 
and am I at the same time more humble, more patient, more 
earnest, more believing ? Then set me down as a richer man. 
Have my worldly goods largely increased during the last few 
years ? Am I some thousands of pounds in advance of my 
former position ? but am I also more proud, more carnal- 
minded, more lukewarm, more petulant ? Then I must write 
myself down as a poorer man, whatever men may think of my 
estate. A Christian's riches are within him. External belong- 
ings are by no means a sure gain to a man. A horse is none 
the better off for gilded trappings ; and a man is, in very 
truth, none the richer for sumptuous surroundings. Paul w^as 
richer than Croesus, when he w^as able to say, *' I know both 
ho^v to be abased, and I know how" to abound : everywhere 
and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be 
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ' ' Such contentment 
sii! passes riches. Outwardly Paul was '' poor,'' but inasmuch 
as he was ^' making many rich'' he must have been rich him- 
self ; for nothing can come out of a man which is not in him. 
Solomon was a very Lazarus, when, after summing up all his 
possessions and delights, he was compelled to add, '' Vanity of 
vanities, all is vanity !" 



GARDEN. 263 

If a man should labor to be rich after the African fashion, 
and should accumulate a large store of shells and beads ; yet 
when he came home to England he would be a beggar, even 
though he had a shipload of such rubbish. So he who gives his 
heart and soul to the accumulation of gold and silver coin is a 
beggar when he comes into the spiritual realm, where such 
round medals are reckoned as mere forms of earth, non-current 
in heaven, and of less value than the least of spiritual blessings. 

AYe have read that when Bernard visited a monastery of 
ascetic monks, they were shocked because the saddle on which 
he rode was most sumptuously adorned. They thought that 
this ill became his profession as a meek and lowly man. Judge 
of their surprise and satisfaction when he told them that he 
had never so much as noticed what it was whereon he sat. 
The fact was, that the horse and saddle were not his own, but 
had been lent to him by his uncle, and their nature had not 
been perceived by him during the whole of his journey. This 
is the way to use all earthly treasure, making small account 
w^hether we have it or not ; even as Paul says, * ' It remaineth, 
that both they that have wives be as though they had none ; 
and they that weep, as though they wept not ; and they that 
rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as 
though they possessed not ; and they that use this world, as 
not abusing it : for the fashion of this world passeth away." 
Our goods are good if we do not account them our highest 
good. Even Jonah's gourd did him good until he quarrelled 
with God about it. 

O, my Lord, let me not merely talk thus, and pretend to 
despise earthly treasure, when all the while I am hunting after 
it ; but grant me grace to live abov^e these things, never setting 
my heart upon them, nor caring whether I have them, or have 
them not ; but exercising all ray energy in pleasing thee, and 
in gaining those things which thou dost hold in esteem. Give 
me, I pray thee, the riches of thy grace that I may at last 
attain to the riches of thy glory, through Christ Jesus. 

A PBINCELY CAEATEE. 

** To be carved for at table by a great prince would be counted as 
great a favor as the meal itself. To take outward blessings out of 
God's hand, to see that he remembereth us, and sendeth in our pro- 
vision at every turn ; this endeareth the mercy, and increaseth onr- 
delight therein." 

What, indeed, would most men give if they could say, 
*' The Queen herself carved for me, and was most anxious that 



2G4 PLOWERS FROM A 

I should be well supplied V^ But each believer has the Lord 
himself for his Provider. He loads our table, aad fills ours 
cup. Providence is no other than God providing. He meas- 
ures out our joys, weighs our sorrows, appoints our labors, and 
selects our trials. There is no morsel on the saint's plate which 
is not of the Lord's carving, unless he has been so foolish as to 
put forth his hand unto iniquity. 

Is it not delightful to know that our Father's hand broke 
for us the bread which we have eaten this day; that the 
Saviour's own fingers mingled our cup, and that every blessing 
has come direct from God's own table ? Surely we are as dear 
to God as the little ewe lamb in Nathan's parable was to the 
poor man ; for we are told that '' he had nourished it up, and 
it grew up together with him, and with his children ; it did 
eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his 
bosom." Does not this make our meat, and drink, and 
lodging more than royal ? Are we not more than cootent 
with such fare ? 

Yea, Lord, my portion tastes of love, for thy hand has 
sweetened it. A sacred perfume is on my raiment and in my 
chamber, for thou hast prepared both for me. And this would 
be true if I wore rags, and lay in a dungeon, in sore sickness. 
What a heritage is mine ! One said, '^ I am poor and needy, 
yet the Lord thinketh upon me. ' ' 

In this passage the second sentence underwrote the first, and 
undermined its meaning : how can he be poor and needy of 
whom it can be said that the Lord thinketh upon him ? 
Lord, thou art my all, and my all in all : my all is more than 
all because it comes of thee, and is dealt out to me by thine 
own self. 

SNOW SOFT, BUT SOAKING. 

*' Passionate outcries do only frighten easy and over-credulous 
souls, and that only for the present ; proofs and arguments do a 
great deal more good. Snow that falleth soft soaketh deep. In the 
tempest, Christ slept ; when passion is up, true zeal is usually 
asleep." 

How gently fall the snowflakes, but how surely they pene- 
trate into the ground ; a driving rain hath not half such 
efficacy ! The voice of the snowflakes is not heard, but their 
iufluence is felt. Proofs from Scripture, winsomely put, carry 
all before them, because Jesus loves to reach men's minds by 
such means, and not by wrath and fury. 

This is a word to hasty disputants. Violent words appear to 



puritan's garden-. 265 

them to be forcible, but they are not. Hard arguments are 
best couched in soft language ; the force of the lightning is 
not increased by the thunder. Wrath weakens reason, but 
gentleness gives double force to arguments. Alas, we too often 
forget this, and call in our evil passions to aid our holy prin- 
ciples. Then the Christ within us sleeps, and the devil is wide 
awake. It is to be feared that Protestantism has been rather 
hindered than furthered by the ferocity with which some have 
maintained it. 

Our present controversies are some of them essential to 
fidelity ; but it will be well if we all remember that to be 
faithful to truth we aeed not be wrathful toward opponents. 
Truth and charity are of the same heavenly family, and are 
loveliest when they walk hand in hand. It has happened that 
some have been so charitable that they would not lift a finger 
to save truth's life lest they should wound one of another 
opinion. This is a sad practical error. But we shall not mend 
matters if we fight truth's battles so savagely that we hurl shot 
and shell upon the abode of love. 

Lord, teach us, for we are fearfully apt to err in this matter. 
Give us bold and clear words, taken from thine own word ; 
and let us use these with the lowly confidence which comes of 
being filled with thy Spirit ; but never allow our own spirit to 
get the upper hand, so that we breathe out threatenings and 
utter bitter expressions. Let our sword be always like that 
which Cometh out of Christ's mouth ; sharp but salutary ; 
flaming, but only with the fire of love. 

THE MALICIOUS GUEST. 

'' Sin is an ill guest, for it always sets its lodging on fire." 
Entertained within the human breast, and cherished and 
fondled, it makes its host no return but an evil one. It places 
the burning coals of evil desire within the soul with evident 
intent to fire the whole man with fierce passions. Let these 
passions be suffered to rage, and the flame will burn even to 
the lowest hell. 

AVho would not shut his door on such a guest ? Or if he be 
known to be lurking within, who would not drag him out ? 
How foolish are those who find delight in such an enemy, and 
treat him with more care than their best friend ! 

KEEPING UP A SUIT. 

' ' Keep up the suit, and it will come to a hearing-day ere it be 
long." 



266 FLOWERS FROM A 

In a suit at law there are many and grievous delays, and j-et 
the man who has been forced into the court does not dream of 
relinquishing his case. He urges on his solicitor, and entreats 
him to lose no opportunity of getting the business settled ; but 
he does not in a pet take the case out of his hands, for he 
expects that the judge will sooner or later decide the matter. 
It would be a pity not to continue steadfast in prayer, for it is 
certain that now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 
Ever)^ hour of importunity brings us nearer to. the time when 
the Judge shall avenge his own elect. To waste all the cost of 
former tears and entreaties, and to let months of praying go 
for nothing would be a sad waste of effort. Let us hope in 
the Lord, and wait patiently for him, abiding still at the mercy- 
seat. Has he not himself said, '' Though the vision tarry^ 
wait for it ; because it will surely come, it will not tarry V^ 

Sometimes, before we call, God hears us, and while we are 
yet speaking he answers us. This is to encourage us to a 
further trust in him ; perhaps to prepare us for waiting times. 
Frequently the richest answers are not the speediest. Ships 
may return all the more quickly because they have a slender 
lading ; and a prayer may be all the longer on its voyage 
because it is bringing us a heavier freight of blessing. De- 
layed answers are not only trials of faith, but they give us 
an opportunity of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in 
him under apparent repulses. 

He that will only believe because he sees the answer to his 
prayer immediately hath but little faith. He is the man after 
God's own heart who can cry day and night unto the Lord by 
the month together, and yet never swerve from the full con- 
viction that God is good to Israel, and that in waiting upon 
him there is great reward. David says, * ' I waited patiently 
for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.'^ 
This patience in waiting is the attribute of the full-grown saint, 
and perhaps it gives more glory to God than the songs of 
cherubim and seraphim. Jonah says, "' When my soul fainted 
within me I remembered the Lord : and my prayer came in 
unto thee, into thine holy temple.^' 

Desponding brother, keep up the suit. Perhaps this very 
day may be the hearmg-day. Go again seven times. The 
little cloud, like a man's hand, may be visible on that last time 
of asking. Knock, and knock again, till the gate of heaven 
reverberates your blows. The door must open, and it will 
open all the wider because you have knocked so long. * * Wait 



PURITAiq^'S GARDEX. 267 

on the Lord : be of good courage, and lie shall strengthen 
thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord/' 

CLOSE WEITING. 
'* When men have much to say in a letter, and perceive that they 
have little paper left, they write closely." 

Looking at the shortness of life, and the much that has to 
be written upon its tablets, it becomes us also to do much in a 
short space, and so to write closely. '' No day without a 
line,'' is a good motto for a Christian. A thoroughly useful 
life is multum in parvo : it is necessarily little, for it is bat a 
span ; but how much may be crowded into it for God, our 
souls, the Church, our families, and our fellows ! We cannot 
afford wide blanks of idleness ; we should not only live by the 
day but by the twenty minutes, as Wesley did. He did not 
keep a diary, but a horary ; and each hour was divided into 
three parts. So scanty is our space that we must condense, 
and leave out superfluous matter ; giving room only to that 
which is weighty, and of the first importance. 

Lord, whether I live long or not, I leave to thee ; but help 
me to live while I live, that I may live much. Thou canst 
give life more abundantly ; let me receive it, and let my life be 
filled, yea, packed and crammed, with all manner of holy 
thoughts and words and deeds to thy glory. 

THE jVnKROE. 

'* Take a looking-glass and put it toward heaven ; there yon shall 
see the figure of heaven, the clouds and things above. Turn it down- 
ward toward the earth, you shall see the figure of the earth, trees, 
meadows, men. So doth the soul receive a figure from the things to 
which it is set. If the heart be set toward heaven, that puts thee 
into a heavenly frame ; if thou appliest it to earthly objects, thou art 
a man of the earth." 

Are our thoughts and our affections full of worldliness ? 
Let us make good use of Manton's figure, and turn the looking- 
glass the other way. Our mind will readily enough reflect 
divine things if we turn it in that direction. Let us see if it 
be not so. Reach down the Bible, look at the biography of a 
holy man, or some lively book of devotion, and see if the heart 
be not straightway filled with holy and heavenly images. At 
any rate, if we spend our time on the newspaper, or sit hour 
after hour reading trashy novels, we have no reason to wouder 
that thought and heart go after vanity. This turning of the 
mind upward is half the battle. We cannot expect it to reflect 
that toward which it does not turn. Those who mind earthly 



268 FLOWEKS FROM A 

things are earthly, those who set their affection upon things 
above are heavenly, Paul shows how practically useful it is to 
turn the mind God- ward when he says that denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly in this present world, " looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour 
Jesus Christ. ' ' 

We may well cry concerning this matter, *' Turn us, O 
Lord, and we shall be turned." If we cannot see divine truth 
to our enjoyment, let us nevertheless look that way ; for that 
eye is blessed which looks in the direction of the light. It is 
well to have our window open toward Jerusalem. He who 
w^ould behold the sun at his rising must not look to the west. 
He that would see God to his delight must look God-ward. 
If the mirror of the soul be resolutely set toward the Lord, we 
shall all with open face behold, as in a glass, the glory of the 
Lord, and be changed into the same image from glory to glory, 
even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

O, my blessed Master, help me I pray thee to keep the 
mirror of my mind in the right position, that evermore I may 
see thee. True, it vnll be but as in a glass darkly, but even 
that will be a marvellous preparation for beholding thee face to 
face. 

THE OLD HOUSE TAKEN DOWN TO BE REBUILT. 

" If we lived in a house of our own, and the walls became decayed, 
and the roof ready to drop down upon our heads, we would desire to 
remove and depart for a while, but we should not therefore give up 
the ground, and the materials of the house. No, we would have it 
built up in a better manner." 

Even thus the soul desires to leave the poor frail tenement of 
the body, but not that the body may be utterly destroyed : it 
quits it with the hope of having the house of clay rebuilt in 
more glorious form. '* Not that we would be unclothed/' 
saith the apostle, " but clothed upon wdtli our house which is 
from heaven ;" not that we would be turned out of house and 
home ; but that we would enter upon our better and permanent 
abode, which the Lord will surely provide for us. 

The Lord doth not despise this house of clay : he will re- 
build it, and we shall inhabit it forever. Wherefore let us be 
comforted when the wind blows through the chinks, and the 
rain drips through the roof ; it will all the sooner come down, 
and all the sooner will it be restored. The little while in which 
we shall be unhoused will cause us no inconvenience, for even 



puritan's GAP.DEIS^. 269 

then we shall be with the Lord ; wherefore let us in all things 
be of good cheer. 

O, my Lord, thou hast made me to know that this body will 
soon cease to be a body for me, therefore I will not pamper it. 
But thou promises! it a resurrection, therefore T will not defile 
it. Teach me how, in the body or out of the body, to dwell 
in thee, and honor thy holy name. 

CHILDPtEN THANKING THE TAILOE FOE THEIR CLOTHES. 

*' As cMldren Y/ill thank the tailor, and think they owe their new 
clothes to him rather than to their parent's bounty, so we look to the 
next hand, and set up that instead of God." 

Second causes must never be made to stand before the first 
cause. Friends and helpers are all very well as servants of our 
Father, but our Father must have all our praise. 

There is a like evil in the matter of trouble. We are apt to 
be angry with the instrument of our affliction, instead of seeing 
the hand of God over all, and meekly bowing before it. It 
was a great help to David in bearing with railing Shimei, when 
he saw that God had appointed this provocation as a chastise- 
ment. He would not suffer his hasty captains to take the 
scoffer's head, but meekly said, '' Let him alone, and let him 
curse, for the Lord hath bidden him.'' A dog when he is 
struck will bite the stick ; if he were wise, he would observe 
that the stick only moves as the hand directs it. When we 
discern God in our tribulations we are helped to be quiet and 
endure with patience. 

Let us not act like silly children, but trace matters to their 
fountain-head, and act accordingly. May the Spirit of wisdom 
make us men in understanding. 

PASSING SHIPS AT SEA. 
" YvTien we are on board ship, if another vessel passes us at sea, 
we think that it is sailing more swiftly than we are. Though both 
ships are passing along at the same rate, we do not so clearly discern 
our ov\^n motion. In like manner we see that others are mortal, but 
we do not number our own days." 

This is an ordinary observation concerning that which is 
really an extraordinary piece of folly. What can it matter to 
us how other men's lives are going ? Our main concern is our 
own conduct, and the spending of our own days. Come, 
friend, you too are getting old ; snowflakes here and there 
upon those once raven locks are prophetic of coming winter. 
Those spectacles, too ! '' First sight," you say. Just so ; 
but you were not once dependent on them. Why, you will 



270 FLOAVERS FROM A 

never see fifty again ! Half a century have you lived, and 
more : surely it is time to be wise. 

Friend Brown is getting quite the old man. No doubt ; but 
you are moving onward, too. Brown does not get a year 
older in less time than you do. We are all sailing at the same 
rate. Is it not time that we took observations, and found out 
cur longitude and latitude ? At any rate, it were well to know 
what port we are bound for. Some have not even so much 
knowledge as this implies. 

PLEASUEE FOEGETS LABOE. 
**In hunting, fowling, and fishing, though there be as much labor 
as in our ordinary employments, yet we count the toil nothing, be- 
cause of the delight we have in them." 

It is wonderful what fatigue men will bear to hunt a fox or 
shoot a partridge, and yet they make nothing of it, but call it 
sport. In like manner many a zealous worker for the Lord 
Jesus will preach, and teach, and labor, and call it his recrea- 
tion, with which he fills up his leisure hours. We know many 
such, and we hope w^e shall yet know more. Love makes labor 
light. Men will do voluntarily that which they would never 
undertake for pay, and they will keep up freely under an 
amount of pressure which would crush the hireling. There 
lies the grand secret. Make holy service a delight, and you 
can do any amount of it. 

Lord, thy servant has no need to reckon thy service to be 
this pleasure, for it is indeed so. Could he but serve thee 
perfectly, without hindrance and without mistake, it would be 
heaven to him. No avocation is like our divine vocation for 
pure delightfulness. It would be far more wearisome not to 
serve thee, my God, than it ever can be to perform the most 
arduous labor for thy love's sake. 

IN TEAINING. 

"By running and breathing yourselves every daj^, you are the 
fitter to run in a race ; so the oftener you come into God's presence 
the greater confidence, and freedom, and enlargement it will bring." 

No doubt by praying we learn to pray, and the more we 
pray the oftener we can pray, and the better we can pray. He 
who prays by fits and starts is never likely to attain to that 
effectual, fervent prayer which availeth much. Prayer is 
good, the habit of prayer is better, but the spirit of prayer is 
the best of all. It is in the spirit of prayer that we pray 
w^ithout ceasing, and this can never be acquired by the man 
who ceases to pray. 



271 



Tt is wonderful what distances men can run who have long 
practised the art. and it is equally marvellous for what a length 
of time they can maintain a high speed after they have once 
acquired stamina, and skill in using their muscles. Great 
power in prayer is within our reach, but we nmst go to work 
to obtain it. Let us never imagine that Abraham could have 
interceded so successfully for Sodom if he had not been all his 
lifetime in the practice of communion with God. Jacob's all- 
night at Peniel was not the first occasion upon which he had 
met his God. We may even look upon our Lord's most choice 
and wonderful prayer with his disciples before his Passion as 
the flower and fruit of his many nights of devotion, and of his 
often rising up a great while before day to pray. 

A man who becomes a great runner has to put himself in 
training, and to keep himself in it ; and that training consists 
very much of the exercise of running. Those who have 
distinguished themselves for speed have not suddenly leaped 
into eminence, but have long been runners. If a man dreams 
that he can become mighty in pra^^er just when he pleases, he 
labors under a great mistake. The prayer of Elias, which shut 
up heaven and afterward opened its floodgates, was one of a 
long series of mighty prevailings with God. Oh that Christian 
men would reruember this ! Perseverance in prajer is necessary 
to prevalence in prayer. Those great intercessors, who are not 
so often mentioned as they ought to be in connection with 
confessors and martyrs, were nevertheless the grandest bene- 
factors of the church ; but it was only by abiding at the mercy- 
seat that they attained to be such channels of mercy to men. 
We must pray to pray, and continue in prayer that our prayers 
may continue. 

O thou, by whom we come to God, seeing thou hast thyself 
trodden the way of prayer, and didst never turn from it, teach 
me to remain a suppliant as long as I remain a sinner, and to 
wrestle in prayer so long as I have to wrestle with the powers 
of evil. Whatever else I may outgrow^ may I never dream 
that I may relax my supplications ; for well I know that — 

*^ Long as they live should Christians pray, 
For only while they pray they live." 

TASTEKS, NOT BUYEES. 
"The hearer's life is the preacher's best commendation. They 
that praise the man but do not practise the matter are like those that 
taste wines that they may commend them, not buy them." 

What a worry such folk are to dealers who are in earnest to 



372 FLOWERS FROM A 

do business ! Time is wasted, labor lost, hopes disappointed. 
Oh that these loafers and idlers would tate themselves off from 
our market ! We set forth the precious produce of heaven's 
own vintage, and hope that they will buy of us ; but no, they 
lift the glass, and talk like thorough connoisseurs, and then go 
off without coming to a bargain. Sermons which we have 
studied with care, delivered with travail, prayed over, and wept 
over, are praised for such minor matters as taste, accuracy, 
and diction, and the truth they contain is not received. We 
cannot bring our hearers to a decided bargain, though our 
wares are the best that heaven can supply. Will it always be 
so ? Reader, has it been so with you ? Is it to be so still ? 

THE PLAISTEE. 

*' A plaister may be of sovereign efficacy, but when yon are still 
pulling it off and on it doth you no good.' ' 

Faith applies Christ to the soul ; but what if unbelief tears 
him away ? A promise is a great heal-all, but what if we 
believe and disbelieve, trust and distrust ? How can the surest 
promise comfort us ? Men turn to God in their fashion, and 
before any benefit can come of it they turn away from him. 
What do they expect from such folly ? Instability in saving 
concerns is a deadly evil, a mockery of God. and a robbery of 
ourselves. 

Lord, thy Son's atonement is the blessed plaister which has 
healed my souFs sore. Thou hast applied it, and I will keep 
it on my heart forever, whatever may happen, and whoever 
may ridicule. This hope I have by thy grace, and none shall 
take it from me. 

A MEETING-HOUSE FOK BEGGAKS. 

'' If a charitable man should see a company of beggars wandering 
in the street during the time of worship, under pretence that there 
was no room for them, and he should build a chapel for them, they 
would then be without excuse. God hath been at so great a cost to 
provide a throne of grace, that we must not now neglect prayer." 

The mercy-seat under the law v/as overlaid with pure gold 
to foreshadow the costliness of its antitype. It cost the death 
of Christ to erect a mercy-seat for men. To neglect it is a 
shameful ingratitude to God, and a wanton rejection of one of 
his costliest blessings. If there were no throne of grace, men 
might die of despair because they could not approach to God ; 



PURITAiq^'S GARDEl!ir. 273 

but now that God has prepared a way of access for all who 
desire to approach hira, the refusal to draw near must rank 
among the grossest and most wilful of rebellions. There is no 
conceivable excuse for the prayerless. A man who dies of 
starvation with bread before him, and perishes with disease 
w^Len the remedy is in his hand, deserves no pity ; and he who 
sinks down to hell beneath the burden of his sins because he 
will not pray, '' God be merciful to me a sinner," deserves all 
that damnation means. Pardon, life, salv^ation, heaven, are 
all to be had for the asking ; and if he that asketh not receiveth 
not, who shall blame either the justice or the mercy of God ? 

Reader, has this day passed without a prayer from your 
heart? Tremble lest it should bring wrath upon you. One 
said, '^ Perhaps the day in which the world shall perish will be 
the day unsanctified by a prayer." What if the day of your 
death and final ruin should be a day in which you did not even 
turn a glance toward heaven ? 

A PIECE OF BAKK, NOT THE TEEE. 

" A man that keeps the law only outwardly, can no more be said 
to keep the law, than he that hath undertaken to carry a tree, and 
only takes up a little piece of the bark." 

The essence of the law lies in the things of the heart : 
external acts are as the outward bark. The Pharisees were 
great barkmongers, but the solid timber was too heavy for 
their shoulders. David was the man to carry the whole of 
the blessed load. He said, '' I will delight myself in thy 
commandments, which I have loved. My hands also will I 
lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved ; and I 
will meditate in thy statutes. ' ' 

He who does not love the whole law is not holy. He who 
does not regard the law in his heart has no heart to the law. 
As he is not a Jew who is only one outwardly, so he is not a 
doer of the law who only attends to its externals. He would 
not have sacrificed a bullock unto the Lord, who should only 
have brought its horns and hoofs ; and he has not yielded 
himself as a servant unto the Most High, who only brings his 
lips and hands. 

O Lord, I w^ould love all thy law, but especially those pre- 
cepts of it which concern my inward parts. I beseech thee, 
therefore, to write thy law upon my heart, and engrave it upon 
my mind. Let its spiritual commands have full command of 
my spirit. 



274 FLOWERS FROM A 

THE DOLE. 

** Wisdom's dole is given at wisdom's gates." 

Those who wish for it must go there for it. Go to the gate 
of hearing if you would obtain the gift of faith. Resort to 
the beautiful porch of the teraple if you would obtain that 
healing which is given by the gospel. Search the Scriptures 
if you would find eternal life. Hasten humbly to the gate of 
prayer if you would obtain God's covenant blessings. Above 
all, wait at the cross-foot for the purchased boons of Jesus' 
love. The dole is free and large, but God hath his place 
appointed for its distribution : be often there. 

Lord, I would not be out of the way when thine alms are 
being distributed, for I am as poor as poverty itself. See, I 
am even now waiting at the portal of thy grace. Give me, I 
pray thee, my daily bread from heaven, and send me on my 
way rejoicing. 

EEADY FOR THE BREEZE. 

** By tacking about men get the wind, not by lying still ; many 
times a supply of grace cometh ere we are aware. '' 

When we do not seem to have the favoring gale in our 
voyage toward heaven, let us not therefore cast anchor, and 
idly lie still, but let us use what wind we have, employing that 
measure of grace which is vouchsafed to us. Let us put up 
the sail to catch side winds, that we may be aided by indirect 
helps till we get where more propitious breezes blow. 

If I cannot pray, let me read a chapter. It may be that while 
I hear God speak to me I shall learn how to speak to him. 
If in my private reading I feel no unction upon the word, let 
me go forth and attend the meeting of the saints ; perhaps 
God intends to bless me by the ear, or in company with others. 
If this fails, let me go and visit the sick, or perform some 
deed of charity. Perhaps in helping others I may find succor 
for my own soul : God has often saved a man from freezing 
by setting him to rub a brother into warmth and life. If all 
this shall not have succeeded, let nie hold converse with some 
choice servant of God ; and if this should fail me, let me get 
to my knees again, or begin to sing a psalm, or tell to others 
what I have experienced of God's love in times past. 

How often it will happen that or ever I am aware my soul 
will make me like the chariots of Ammi-nadib. ^^ While I 
was musing,'' said one, *' the fire burned.'' *^ The wind 
bloweth where it listeth," and a heavenly gale often comes 



puritan's gardek. 275 

upon a sudden ; but it seldom or never comes to idle souls, or 
to those who are indifferent about it, listless, inactive, dead, 
careless whether it comes or not. Come then, brother, tack 
about. Complain not of the want of heavenly wind, rather 
complain of want of consecrated energy. Lord, grant that 
what I preach to others I may always practise myself. 

MILK FOR BABES. 

" As warm milk is fitter to nourish a babe than that which is cold, 
so the word of God delivered by a lively voice hath a greater congru- 
ity and suitableness to the work of grace." 

Moreover, there is no milk for a babe like that which comes 
warm from the mother's breast. Reading the word, or hearing 
a borrowed sermon, is like a child's sucking from a bottle ; 
but as that child grows best which takes its nutriment fresh 
from the mother, so hearing warm-hearted discourses, fresh 
from the preacher's heart, is the most nourishing to the child 
of God. There is no warmth like heart-warmth, and no testi- 
mony like that of experience. 

This is the grand distinction between one preaching and 
another. One sermon is delivered with a cold propriety, as if 
the preacher had no concern in it, nor his hearers either, and 
as a rule it fails to satisfy the soul. Another discourse may 
have less food in it than the first, but as it comes from the 
preacher's inmost soul, and he speaks it with warmth of zeal 
and melting affection, it enters into the auditor, is assimilated 
by him, and makes him grow thereby. Surely there can be no 
greater farce than dull, lifeless preaching. As by taking the 
soul out of a man we cause him to become a loathsome and 
offensive corpse, so has the doctrine of the gospel, when it has 
been divorced from the affection of the minister, become a 
heartless creed, bringing more of bondage to men's intellects 
than of sustenance to their souls. If the shepherd is not alive, 
what will the sheep be ? If men are compelled to feed upon 
ice, and to dwell among icebergs, they will be frozen ; while 
those who are warmed by an ardent ministry are likely to 
become fervent Christians. 

Lord, let me rather be dumb than so preach thy word as to 
deprive it of that holy warmth which makes it nourishing food 
for thy children. Let me not set thy sick ones down to cold 
meats for which they will have no stomach. If I be not 
eloquent, yet let me be affectionate ; if I cannot speak with 



276 FLOWEKS FKOM A 



the wisdom of a father, yet let me speak with the heart of a 
brother. 

COMPLEXION. 

" We do not judge of men's complexions by the color they have 
when they sit before the nre. We cannot judge of a man by a holy 
fit which he hath when he is under the influence of a sermon, or in 
good company ; but when at all times he labors to keep np a warmth 
of heart toward God." 

If all were truly good who are occasionally good, good 
men would not be scarce. See how people weep under a 
moving sermon ! Think not, therefore, that their hearts are 
changed, for even n)arble drips in certain weathers. A man 
fresh from a revival-meeting looks like a zealous Christian ; 
but see him when he goes to market. As a face rendered red 
by the fire soon loses all its ruddiness, so do numbers lose all 
their godliness when they quit the society of the godly. 

Lord, let me never be what I cannot be forever. Give me 
a complexion which 1 shall wear all my lifetime, and when 
time shall be no more. 

THE MASTEK'S EYE. 

'* As soldiers fight best in their general's presence, and scholars 
ply their books most attentively when under their master's eye, so, 
by living always in the sight of God, w^e are the more studious to 
please him. The oftener we consider the Lord, the more we see that 
no service can be holy enough or good enough for such a God as he 
is." 

This needs no comment, but it needs to be realized. See, 
soldier of the cross, the eye of the Captain of our salvation is 
fixed upon thee ! Jesus cries, '' I know thy works." AVill 
not this incite thee to valorous deeds, and make a hero of 
thee ? If not, what will ? 

A BLIND EYE AS DANGEKOUS AS A LAME FOOT. 

** "We should as carefully avoid errors as vices ; a blind eye is even 
worse than a lame foot ; yea a blind eye may cause a lame foot, for 
he that hath not light is apt to stumble." 

Very few seem to think so, but there is solemn truth in this 
statement. Men fancy that their minds are their own, and that 
they may do what they will with them, thinking and believing 
just as their conceit suggests. But who gave them a release 
from the authority of God as to this part of their nature 2 
True, they are not bound by the opinions of their fellow-men ; 



pukitan's gardens-. 277 

but does this give them a dispensation from the supremacy of 
God ? There are revealed truths : have we license to receive 
or reject them at our pleasure ? If we set up our own concep- 
tions as equal or superior to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, 
are we justified in so doing ? One would fancy from the talk 
of the wiseacres of the period that God did not know his own 
mind when he wrote the Scriptures, or that, like an old 
almanac, divine revelation is out of date, and superseded by 
** modern thought." 

Doctrinal laxity has led to moral license : professors now 
wander in ways which their sober forefathers would have 
shuddered at. They will soon be given over to return to the 
old idolatries of Rome, since they are growing weary of the 
grand truths of Protestantism. Falsehoods of belief are fitly 
followed by superstitions in ritual : those who slay the doc- 
trines are not ashamed to mangle the ordinances. We wonder 
what next, and next ! 

O Lord, I am willing to be thought a simpleton for believing 
as reformers, confessors, and martyrs believed, and as thy word 
teaches. Do not allow me to be blind to thy truth, lest I 
stumble in my daily life, and become scandalous as well as 
heretical. 

A LONG LEASE ENHANCES VALUE. 

" If a man might have a cottage on a hundred years' lease, he 
would prize it much more than the possession of a palace for a day." 

Of course he would ; and this it is which adds so much 
preciousness to the joys of heaven, for they are eternal. The 
pleasures of this world, however bright they seem, are but for 
this one day of life, which is already half over. If they were 
all they profess to be, and a thousand times more, they would 
not be worthy to be mentioned in comparison with *^ pleasures 
for evermore^' at God's right hand. 

O Thou who fillest eternity, impress me with the solemn 
import of that word, and let me feel that all timers fleeting 
cares and caresses are as dreams ; while the things of eternity 
alone have substance in them. Give me thy grace that I may 
** lay hold on eternal life." 

THE END. 



HDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



PAGE 

Absence of Christ expedient, The. . 171 

Acorns, Why Men ate 96 

Advice, On giving 254 

Affections the Test of Character. . 272 
Affliction, The Benefits of {see also 

Trials), 78, 129, 163, 165, 166, 187 

194, 195 
Alexander — Contempt for the 

World, Illustrated 45 

and Apelles 205 

Ambition 218 

Angler and the Hunter, The 183 

Ant-hill, Tlie 138 

Apple, Child asking for an 234 

Apples display the Sap 100 

Aqueduct and the Sunflower, The. 102 

Arm, The svv'ollen 134 

Arrows shot at random 107 

Artist and the Paper-stainer, The . . 48 

Asking in a Person's Name 251 

Aspirations, Spiritual 255 

Ass wiser than the Sinner, The 51 

Atonement, The {see also Christ) 170 

Augustine's story of Alipius 67 

Axe, Men like Trees marked for 

the 73 

Backsliders, How to deal with 139 

likened to Bankrupts 210, 238 

Balances, Unjust 16 

Bankrupts, Spiritual 210 

Bark not the Tree, A Piece of 279 

Barrel, Knocking the .. 191 

Bed, Going to— a Simile 209 

The, changed 142 

Beggar, The Dumb 130 

with trembling Hand, The.... 179 

Beggars and the Throne of Grace. 278 
Begging, The Art of spiritual. . ... 35 

Beginnings, the Difficulty of 43 

Believers a,re Heirs, not Hirelings.. 222 

How conformed to Christ 220 

How they should walk 89 

Life—'* Sunshine with Rain ".. 240 

Pilgrims and Strangers here.. 219 

Safe, though lacking assur- 
ance 182 

Believers should " set their affec- 
tions on things above " 247, 248 

Support under Losses 244 

Watchword—" Onward " 246 



PAGE 

Bernard's Charity. 87 

Best of Ways to the Best of Pos- 
sessions, The 15 

Bias, Contrary to 168 

Bird, from its own Egg, Each 13 

Onesetteth another chirping. 175 

tied by a string. The 7 

catching by Night 149 

Birds on the Wing 15t 

Biter Bitten, The 202 

Blind Eye and Lame Foot, The. . . . 282 
Blossoms do not become Fruit, 

All 114 

Blown into Harbor 243 

Boasters 54, 134 

Bone dislocated, The 69 

Bones stronger, though once 

broken 118 

Brag, the Roman's empty 54 

Brass Farthings and Gold 229 

Briers, Taken in the 129 

Bridles for old Horses 90 

Broken Bones complaining 30 

Brook and the River, The 191 

Bucket and the Sea, The 168 

Empty, The 22 

Buckets in a Well— a Simile 83 

Burning-glass, The 108 

Caesar killed with bodkins 82 

Calvin and his Lord 131 

Candle is lighted for a purpose, A. 44 

The Thief and the 66 

Care, a Hindrance to Grace 132 

Carpenter's Line and Rule, The 98 

Carver, The (Two Similes) 48, 268 

Catching at a Bough 182 

Cement of Heaven, Love is the 145 

Chaff and Wheat contrasted 74 

Changeability, a bad Sign 74 

" Charity "—A cry to be suspected, 

133, 137 

Charity that thinketh no evil 87 

Chastisement 195 

Chessboard, The 130 

Chessmen in a Bag 201 

Child and the Father, The 199 

wanting a Knife, The 80 

Child's Play 169 

Children and the Tailor 274 

carried by their Father 209 



280 



MDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



PAGB 

Christ and his Truth, The Supre- 
macy of 176 

God in 182 

our Example 45 

Christ ReceiviDg 98 

The Absence of, expedient, 115, 171 

the Centre of the Soul 91 

the Magnet of the Believer. . . 19 

The liiches of, a Ground of 

Confidence 96 

The sufferings of, their value, 

51, 164, 170 

the Sinner's Substitute 125 

the Yoke of, lined 237 

Union of Saints with 115, 178, 

Christ's Name, Asking in 251 

Christian Fellowship, a Necessity, 

36, 191 
Christians should be Evangelists. . 120 
Christians, Some are like Bank- 
rupts 210 

Dwarfs 173 

Churcjh, How^ to promote the Unity 

of the 180 

Disturbers •. 152 

its Defences 131 

Civet Box, The 178 

Clean Vessels, Choice Liquors re- 
quire 27 

Clock of Providence, The 159 

Clock, Winding up the 22 

Clowns and Princes 146 

Coin and the Prince, The 182 

Cold, How to keep out the 62 

Column, The Upright 84 

Comet and the Sun, The 133 

Comfort, Christ the Giver of 118 

Creatures cannot give 49 

Commerce 192 

Communion with God.... 121, 136, 153 

of Saints 123 

Company, Sinful (see Evil, Sin) 212 

Compasses, The 91 

Complaint, An Unusual 228 

Complexion, The 282 

Concentration of Purpose 108 

Conflict, Spiritual 261 

Consecration of our Substance . . . 206 
Conscience, Sin indulged in hardens 

the.... 67 

Tenderness of. 197 

The folly of Stifling. 70 

What it is like 22, 65, 236 

Contentment 140, 186 

Contraries, God working by seem- 
ing 213 

Controversy, How to conduct, 128, 239 
Conviction Is not Regeneration. 52, 282 

Corn ripening 163 

Counterfeit, The Bright 10 

Courtiers' Courtesy 156 

Privileges 121 

Covenant, The Better 118 

Covetousness 31, 94 

Cripples mocking 149 

Crown, A Knock borne for a. . .143, 161 
Cypress, Some Professors like the. 54 
Cyrus and the Biver 180 



PAGE 

Dead Fish 9 

Death a Final Conflict 197 

a terrible Leveller 201 

Christ with Saints in 209 

dissipates Deceit 57 

How Christians should regard 167 

Spiritual 200, 223, 233 

Declensions in Grace 66, 82, 185 

Decoy, The 69 

Den of the Cockatrice, The 239 

Desires of the New Creature, The. 256 

Devotion, Undisturbed. 32 

Diet, Good, in unhealthy places. .. 144 

Dirty Corners 119 

Disappointment, the lot of mortals 114 

Dish forme. The lU 

Distractions, How to deal with 162 

Dog, Calling off the 194 

The devil compared to a 93 

The Hunting 172 

Dogs, Barking, catch no game 128 

and Cats versus Children 249 

Doubts and Fears.. ,.. 113 

Dreams, but not Dreams , 106 

Drinking to drown Care .......... 70 

Drunkard, The Fallen 159 

Dry Sticks kindling the green 140 

Dwarf, The 173 

Eagles and Flies 89 

Ear-ring, The 236 

Echo, The 120 

Economy, Expensive 94 

Egg, Sin like to a Serpent's 56 

Earnestness 137 

Error, The Danger, Sin and Punish- 
ment of 59, 133, 134, 177, 282 

The Need of Protest against. . 137 

Spiritual Nutriment, the Pre- 
servative from 144 

Errorists, The Satanic Devices of. 149 
Esther going in unto the King. ... 18 
Eternal Realities and Temporal 

Vanities 59, 283 

Evidences of Grace 21 

Evil, The Infectious Character of, 

140, 211, 212, 221, 254 

Exotics, their Need of Care 33 

Eye, The Master's 282 

Fading Flowers 8 

Failing, A Child's 18 

Faith and Spiritual Discernment. . , 208 

Implicit 20 

its Sphere in Mysteries 42 

the least, is Saving 182 

to be exercised when Light is 

absent 18, 172, 231 

Trial of, Precious .191, 270 

Weak, and Divine Tenderness. 179 

False Hopes, Illustrated 100, 153 

Far-off looks small 60 

Fathers, A Saying of the 110 

Fault-finding 142 

Feelings, Untrustworthiness of 113 

Fellow-countryman, The 123 

Firel Firel... 137 

Fire from Heaven, The Need of . . . 63 



IKDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



281 



PAGE 

The House on 160 

Two Wavs of Putting out 205 

will Spread 39 

Fish in a Pail, The 255 

Flint and Steel 181 

Floodgates, Closing the 153 

Foot-race, The 246 

Formalists and Hypocrites 23, 38 

Foundation, Loose Stones in the.. 177 

Foundations, Deep 143 

Free-will and Effectual Grace 124 

Fruit cannot ripen without the Sun 136 

Gambling 233 

Gardener and the Roots, The 249 

Garment, The long 148 

Ghost, Guilt of Conscience like a. . 49 

Giant and the Straw, The 202 

Gibeonites, Worldly things to be 

treated as 94 

Giddy think the Earth moves, The 113 

Gifts— their Design 44, 192 

Gilded Postherd, The 199 

Giving, Christian — -. 206 

Glass without a foot. The 137 

God All-sufficient 22 

as our Judge, to be regarded. 224 

" by whom all things consist" 109 

Faithfulness of 116 

God is Engraven on every Creature 170 

" Jehovah Rophi " 110 

Man's Disregard of 138 

not Second Causes, to be eyed 274 

Omniscience of, a comfortable 

Reflection from the 250 

Our Father 252 

Presence of, likened to Sun- 
shine 248 

Pruning the Prosperous 225 

Sovereignty of and Free Agen- 
cy 241 

The New Nature tends to, 

102, 247, 272 

to be served with our best 205 

Trust in, in Extremity 200 

Ways of, not to be measured 

by Human Standards 199 

Godliness demands care and 

thought 46, 190 

God's Appointments, The duty of 

acquiescing in 46 

Gold instead of Copper Payment. . 164 

Gospel Light, Errorists hate 68 

Unholy Preachers and the 185 

Grace, Design of the Means of, 

45, 77, 125 

Free, and Free-will 124 

Free, The Death-blow of 

Popery 75 

Growth in 126, 173 

How to Discover Evidences 

of 21, 100 

is for use 26, 255 

is the best Plea 28 

its abundance, and our need, 

127, 189 

Preparatives to. 259 

Proportioned to Trials 65 



PAGE 

The Covenant of 118 

The Doom of Despisers of 241 

The Fragrance of 178 

The Sweet Compulsions of 243 

There is no Old Age in 40 

Young and Old need the re- 
straints of 90 

Grapes, Sour 35 

Gravel in the Shoe 227 

Green Wood 232 

Guest, Looking for an expected. . . 163 

Sin, a Malicious 270 

Guilt of Conscience, its Terror 49 

Handwriting, We should plead 

God's 61 

Happiness 235 

Hearers of the Word Disappointing 

the Preacher 277, 282 

should be like Traders 12 

Need Heart-preparation 138 

Heart, Change of, needed 143, 204 

Heart, Disease 201, 223, 233 

Heart-fixedness, The Blessedness 

of 32 

Purity, An Argument for 210 

Heaven, Foretastes of 105 

" No Cross, No Crown" 161 

The Saint's Home 132, 219, 255 

The Road to. Difficult. . . . 95, 161 

Hedge of Thorns, the ungodly a . . . 55 

Hen and her Eggs, The 66, 70 

The clucking 120 

Hewing Stones and pruning Vines. 194 
Holder of the Keys knocking at the 

Door, The 16 

Holding on by the Teeth 200 

Holiness, how promoted 156 

of God, The.... 99 

Homeward-bound 132 

Hooper the Martyr at the Stake. . . 34 

Hopper, The Empty 172 

Horse with Halter, The 220 

House on Fire, The 160 

Taking down the Old 273 

The Unfinished 151 

Humilitv, a Mark of Grace 74 

Hypocrisy ; Hypocrites... 23, 38, 57, 199 

Ice, half-melted, Some Souls like.. 52 

Image, not the Man, The 38 

Imperial Revenues and small 

Charges 96 

Inclinations show Character 226 

Industry, An Incentive to Holy 131 

: Infants and Sick Folk, How to 

j Infection of Sin,' The.. *.'.'... .'.'.211*, 212 
' Instability of Earthly Things, The. 114 

Instrumentality, God's Wisdom 
i displayed in using human 69 

Invisible Ink— Secret Sin illus- 
trated 57 

Inward Bleeding 233 

Ivy in the Wall— a Simile 15 

Jewels, Save the 47 

Joys of Earth are Fading Flowers. 8 



2S2 



i:^rDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



PAGE 

Judprment of the Natural Man is 
False, The 16 

Judgment-Day, The, Sins unpar- 
doned will appear at 99 

" The Unfaithful Steward." . . . 101 

Justification and Sanctification— 
both needed 227 

Key, The Unused 56 

of the House, Waiting for the. 124 

Keys, Trying the 125 

King's Lodging, The 210 

Knock borne for a Crown, A IGl 

Knowledge, Speculative, a Snare. . 91 

Lapwing, The 142 

Lark and the Fowler, The 91 

Law of God, On Keeping the 279 

the Rule of Life, The 12 

Lay- Figures 145 

Lead, Unrenewed Nature likened 

to 44 

Lean-to Shed, The 2C5 

Leaven in the Bread, The 115 

Leaves, New, push off the Old 97 

Life, Christian known by his 229 

God's Judgment of our 195 

Picture of a blighted 81 

proved by Growth 126 

to be measured by Results — 226 

TheFrailtyof 12 

The true Purpose of 72, 73 

Light carried by a Black Man 185 

Like will to Like 222 

Link, Only a 134 

Long Lease enhances Value, A 283 

Lookers-on and Players 254 

Losses, Temporal, How Saints bear 244 

Love, a Touchstone 85 

Brotherly 180 

illustrated 120, 122, 252 

its Power in Service 275 

the Root Grace 103, 145, 201 

to God expelling Love -of Sin. . 104 

Ludovicus Marsacus, The story of. 86 

Lungs, The 135 

Lute, The Untuned 255 

Madman of Athens, The 101 

Man unrenewed, Spiritually Blind. 

04, 93 

Marshes, Dwellers in 150 

Martha complaining of Mary 132 

Martyr and the Chain, The 34 

Martyrs in Bears' Skins 257 

Mattocks of Gold 72 

Meadows and Marshes • 19 

Means useless v/ithout Divine 

Power 203 

of Grace to be prized. .106, 233, 279 

On the Choice of right 196 

Meditation 26, 66, 107 

Merchant, The Insulted 241 

Mercy Free, but Means to be used. 77 

Misery the best Plea with., 130 

Merit and Means 77 

The Modesty of real 133 

Meteors, not Stars 114 



Pi-GE 

Mice, Burning a House to kill the. . 152 

Milk for Babes 281 

Millstone, The Single 36 

Mind, Occupation a necessity for 

the ^172 

Ministers, The Example of 141 

Ministry, The Need of a living 118 

Mirror, The 272 

Miser and his Bag of Money, The. . 85 

Misfit, The 186 

Moon is eclipsed at the Full, The.. 88 
Mortality, Delusive Thoughts on. . . 275 
INIusteatzem of Babylon, The Story 

of 95 

Nail, One, drives out another 104 

The All-supporting 109 

Nature, Everything acts according 

to its 204 

tends to its Author 247 

Need the best Fitness for Grace. . . 22 

Needle and its Pole, The 19 

Nurse and the Falling Child, The . . 25 

Obedience, Implicit — 20 

Olivian's Dying Saying 117 

One Rainy Day, Trouble but as 58 

Oven, The Baker and his 216 

Paint for Paint 146 

Pal«logus, the Emperor, a Beggar, 95 

Patience under Trials 159 

Pearl, The Soul a Priceless 243 

Pearls and Swine 76 

Perfectionism 246 

Perfumed Gale, The 105 

Persecution for righteousness' sake, 

86, 189, 202, 258 
Perseverance of the Saints, 114-117, 151 

Peter Martyr's Ilhistration 63 

Phideas and his Name 170 

Physician in the Garden, The 128 

Pills, Some Truths to be received 

as 42 

Pin, The prick of, and a heavy 

blow 191 

Plaister and the Hand, The 118, 277 

Poisoned Meat, Error dangerous 

as 59 

Poor Man Robbed, A 244 

Popery, The Death-blow of 75 

Position no Criterion of Worth 87 

Pot, The Cracked 14 

Practical I se to be considered 128 

Prayer, Companionship in 95, 175 

Encouragement for . 35, 278 

for Spirituals and Temporals. . 2^34 

How to attain I*ower in 276 

Importunate 38, 172. 181, 270 

in Submission to the Divine 

AVill 80 

Neglect of 50, 278 

of the Son and sons of God. .. 169 

Preachers must alarm as well as 

comfort {see also Sermons).. .58, 147 
Preachers need Fire from Heaven, 

63,281 
Prescriptions not to be altered — 238 



li^DEX OP SUBJECTS. 



283 



PAGE 

Pinming:, or. Preparatives to Grace, 258 

Prince in a Ditch, The 112 

Printers' Proofs 141 

Procrastination 191 

Profession and Possession con- 
trasted 10, 192, 213, 248, 265 

Professors, Graceless 23, 54, 2-S2 

Promises, How to plead the 61 

Proportions to be studied 65 

Prosperity, a Test of Character...?, 14 

The Dangers of 88 

Providence 159, 268 

Provision for a Journey 161 

Provisioned for a Siege 242 

Pump, Water poured into a. 122 

Queen crowned with the King, The. 178 

Rabbi Joseph and the Synagogue. . 263 
Raiment. Soul and Body more than. 37 
Ravens Loving the Scent of Car- 
rion 230 

Ready to Sail 167, 233 

Reason, its Inability to solve Di- 
vine Mysteries 231 

Records of Life 99 

Recreation 112, 146 

Reformation is not Regeneration, 

44, 158, 260 
Registrar, Conscience the inward. . 65 

Religion, " A Lean-to Shed." 265 

Heartless 146 

Secret, the Soul of Godliness . 172 

True, is Intolerant of Error. . . 176 

Repentance, Temporary 158, 260 

Reproof, How to administer 236 

Responsibility, how measured. . .53, 185 

of God's Servants 250 

Resurrection of the Body, The. 209, 273 

Rhine, Children dipped in the 165 

Rliodians, The 28 

Riches, ensnaring (see Prosperity) . . 148 

of Saints and Sinners, The 266 

Rider and the Footman, The 185 

River swollen by being dammed. 

The 261 

River losing Depth, The 188 

Roman Senate and Christ, The 176 

Root and the Branches, The 103 

Rose on the Tree and in the Still, 

A 193 

Runavrav Knocks 38 

Russet Coat, The 39 

Saints. God the Carver for his. . . . 268 

Hatred of the World to. . . .149, 189 

Honored with Christ 178 

Safety of the 115 

Should be mutual helps. . . .123, 192 

Soldiers under Christ's Eye ... 282 

Sometimes die Fighting 197 

Small Vessels — God a great 

Fountain 189 

sufferings for Sin corrective. . . 25 

Salvation, the End of all the Means 

of Grace 44 

Things which precede 258 

Salvation, Where to be Obtained.. 280 



PAGE 

Samson's Locks 95 

Sanctification 27, 240 

Satan, the Lord Rebuking 194 

Satan's Devices 92, 93," 185 

Scarecrow, The Bird afraid of the. 193 

Scythe, Whetting the 174 

Scripture Knowledge, a Preserva- 
tive 29 

like a Sword. 82 

Seasons of Grace to be utilized 216 

Second Coming of Christ, The 163 

Self denial, Christ the Example of. 45 
Self-reliance, its Danger and 

Folly 48 

Self-righteousness . ...39, 153 

Self-sufficiency, The Danger of ... . 24 

Sentinel, The 256 

Sermons, Good and bad 146, 157 

Servant, The Drunken 53 

Squabbling with a 260 

Servants and Heirs 222 

Settling the Expenditure 205 

Shaking of the Tree, The 207 

Shame for Christ's sake is Honor.. 86 

Sheep and Sheep-dog, The 187 

Sheep, How to treat wandering... 139 

Ship and its Passengers, The 241 

Building 175 

Ships are not drawn by Horses, 

12, 222, 226 

Ships, Similes from. 12, 274 

Showers, Slow, are best l&i 

Showman's Jest, The 235 

" Silence," Making a noise by cry- 
ing 162 

Sin, " a Malicious Guest " 270 

Christ in the Heart expels ... 02 

compared to a benumbed 

Snake 210 

compared to Ivy 15 

Fear of Punishment for 193 

Hardening character of 67 

Indwelling mars our Service . . 11 

" our worst Enemy, 

66, 261 

Infectious Character of 135 

is seen in Little Things 230 

Its Effects on Conscience 197 

must be mortified in its begin- 
nings 56, 155 

must be slain, or it will slay.. 7, 83 

Pleasures of, like Sour Grapes 35 

Presumptuous. 239 

Secret, Danger of 119 

The Danger of One 184, 220 

Sinner, The, less wise than the Ass, 51 
Sinners, The Sad Case of Unfor- 

given 50 

The Throne of Grace for 278 

Singer, The — 195 

Sins of Infirmity illustrated 17, 229 

seemingly little are deadly 82 

of the Righteous 19 

Slander the Persecutor's Weapon . 257 
Slandering Holy things. The Sin of 79 

Sleeping by Waterfalls - 68 

Sluggards hate Light 147 

Snail, The Trail of a 187 



284 



IKDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



PAGE 

Snake, The Benumbed 216 

Snow, Soft but Soaking 269 

Soldiers and Sailors 151 

Sorrows of Saints preferable to the 

Joys of Worldlings, The 25 

Soul, Preciousness of the — 37, 47, 243 

Trouble 143 

Spectacles useless to the Blind — 218 
Speech, Fine, not Gospel-preach- 
ing 157 

Spices beaten, Afiaictions likened 

to 78 

Spider, The 153 

Spire, The— a simile 71 

Spirit, The Holy, liow Quenched.. 205 

'' helps Saints 242 

" Scripture used by 31 

Spiritual and Natural Life and 

their fruits 13, 214 

Conflict 201 

Exercises 33 

Life is aggressive 39 

Maladies require prompt At- 
tention 69 

Spirituality, Decline of 186 

Stalk, The Stripped 81 

Stars and their Strange Names, 

The 79 

Steadfastness 256 

Steward, The Unfaithful 101 

Stitchin Time, A 83 

Stone and the Chip, The 138 

Storms, Preparation for 222 

Strife 153 

Study, Meditation must follow 26 

Substitute, The Princely 125 

Suit, Godliness an Every-day 213 

Keeping up a 270 

Sulphur in the Incense — 11 

Sun alone can make Day, The 49 

Dial, The, without the Sun ... 21 

Eclipsed— Christ's Sufferings.. 51 

Sun in Winter 25 

Sunflower and the Aqueduct, The. 102 

Sunshine 248 

Sunshine with Rain 240 

Sword in a Child's Hand, The 82 

not to be judged by the Belt. . 87 

Tailoring, Man's 12 

Talent and Influence, Small 71 

Tanned Face, A. 245 

Tap and the Liquor, The 229 

Taste the best Test 59 

Tasters, not Buyers 277 

Temptation 160, 245 

Communion with God baffles . 154 

Testimony, The Power of Person- 
al , 76 

Thief and the Candle, The 66 

Thirsty Men, How they drink 208 

Thorns and Burrs 221 

Thoughtless, How to deal with 

the 232 

Thread, Fine-spun 157 

Tight-rope Dancer, The 116 

Timber in Sun and Shower 187 

Time, Preciousness of ,,.... 12, 174 



PAGE! 

Tongs for Handling Hot Iron kA 

Tongue, the Index of the Mind 2-29 

Tradesman losing his Customer, 

The 166 

Trading on a Man's Word 198 

Training for Prayer 276 

Traitor within, Corruption the 62 

Traveller and the ^Merchant, The. . 13 
Travelling, Looking at Maps is not. 190 

Treason in Coining Farthings 17 

Treasury and the Bags, The 

Opened 127 

Tree, The Shaken 207 

Trees, Pruning Unpruned 225 

Trials, Saints' need of 151, 163 

Fi-eedom from 228 

Preventible 227 

Some Uses of 129 

Trouble short-lived to a Believer. . 58 

Long-continued 164 

Trumpet and Pipe, each has its 

Use 58 

Trust in God, Illustrated 198 

in Trial 200 

Trusting after Failure 238 

Truth must be loved as well as 

learned 59 

spoken in Love 128, 269 

is precious though Sinners 

pervert it 76 

The least, to be prized 134, 180 

Tuning an Instrument 140 

Unbelief, The Mischief of 277 

Unconverted, Care for the 159 

Spiritually Blind 106, 218 

Unthankf ulness for Mercies 188 

Uprightness alone is Safety 84 

Yalentinian's Polluted Garment. . . 155 
Vanity of Earthly Things, The.. . 218 
Verities, not Vanities, should be 

the Objects of Life 73 

Vessels, Small, and a great Foun- 
tain 189 

Victims led to the Slaughter 112 

Vines, Pruning 194 

Violet and Nettle 133 

Wagons are not moved by Wind.. 196 

Warrior's Thoughts, The 247 

Waste, Malicious 260 

Watchmaker, The 110 

Wax, The broken Stick of 187 

Way to Heaven, The 15 

Weak, strong ; and the Strong weak 24 

We should bear with the. . .41, 139 

Weapons, Invention of fresh 131 

Weather varied to suit the Soil, 

The 46 

Wedges 184 

Weeds must be choked 29 

Wicked, The, Prosperity of 112 

" why preserved 55 

Widow, The loving 172 

Windfalls, Professors likened to.. 215 
AVindows and Tiles worthy of care 180 
Wisp, The little 71 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



285 



PAGE 

Witness-Bearing for Clirist 76 

Wolf, The frightened 158 

" and the Picture of a 

Sheep 189 

Wooden Leg, The 186 

Word of a :Man, Trading on the. . , 198 
Word of God not to be altered. . . . 238 
" Personal Experience 

of Ill 

Words, Hasty, The Mischief of 153 

Works, Good 255 

World, The, not the Believer's Rest 151 
Worldlings, the Pursuits of.... 169, 249 



PAGE 

Worldly Conformity, a Mark of Un- 

regenerac3^ 9 

Things should be made to 

serve Spiritual Ends 94 

Worship, Public 263 

Worthless 144 

Writing Close 271 

Yoke Lined, The %7 

of Christ, easy by use 243 

Young, On Training the 29 

Zeal, Intemperate 152 



287 

THE STANDARD LIBRARY. 

WHAT REPKESENTATIVB CliEKGYMEN SAY 

OF IT. 

I Chas. K. Hall, D.D., Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Brooklyn, 

V says : 

\ " Great book monopolies, like huge railroad syndicates, are now the ma« 
f narcbical relics against which the benevolence and radicalism of the age, 
\ from ditfereat standpoints, are bound to wage war. Each source will have 
its own motives and arguments, but each will resolve to conquer in the long 
ruD. At one end of the scale we have the Life of Dickens offered for $800, 
that some one wealthy man may enjoy the comfort of his proud privilege 
of wealth in having what no other mortal possesses ; at the other, we find 
the volume offered at 10 or 30 cents, which any newsboy or thoughtful 
laborer uses in common with thousands. In the great strife for the great- 
est o;ood of the largest number, put me down as on the side of the last. I 
enclose my subscription order for a year.'* 

Key. Chas* W. Cushing, I>.I>«, First M. E. Church, Rochester, 

N. Y., says : 
" One of the most pernicious sources of evil among our young people 
is the books they read. When I can get a young man interested in subsian- 
tied books ^ I have great hope of him. For this reason 1 have been deepl\ 
Interested in your effort to make good books as cheap as bad ones. I meuv 
tioned the matter from ni}'' pulpit. As a result I at once got fifty-four sub- 
scribers for the full set, and more to come." 

J. O. Feck, D.I>«9 First M. E. Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., says: 

*' Your effort is commendable. You ought to liave the co-operation of 
all good men. It is a moral, heroic, and humane enterprise." 

Pres, Mark Hopkius, D^D.^ of Williams College, says: 

'^ The attempt of Messrs. Funk and Wagnalls to place good literature 
within reach of the masses is worthy of all commendation aud encourage- 
ment. If the plan can be successfully carried out, it will be a great boon 
to the country." 

Geo. C« liOrrimer, D.D., Baptist Church, Chicago, says : 

'' I sincerely ho])e your endeavors to circulate a wholesome and elevat- 
ing class of books will prove successful. C^rtainlv, clerirymen, and Chris- 
. tians generally, can aot afford that it should fail. ' In proof of my personal 
interest in your endeavors, I subscribe for a year." 

J. P. Newmaa, D.D., New York, says: 

•* I have had faith from the bearinning in the mission of Messrs. Funk & 
Wagnalls. It required great faith on their part, and their success is in 
proof that all things are possible to him that believeth. They have done 
for the public what long was needed, but what other Dublishers did not 
venture to do." 

Henry J. Van Dyke, D.D., Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., 

says: 
" Good books are gfreat blessings. They drive out darkness by letting 
In light. Your ])]an oii2:ht not to fail for lack of support. Put my name 
on Uie list of subscribers." 



288 

T. W. Chambers, D.D., Collegiate Reformed Church, New York, says; 
" The plan seems to me both praiseworthy and feasible. I trust it will 
meet with speedy and abundant success." 

Sylvester F. Scovel, D.D., Pirst Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, 

Pa., says : . 

" Your plans deserve a place in the category of moral reforms. The 
foes they meet, the width of the battle-ground they can be expanded to 
cover, tlie manifold incidental blessings they may convey to thousands of 
households, the national and international currents of thought they may 
set in motion, entitle them beyond all question to prompt and efficient aid 
irom clergymen and the whole Christian Church.'' 

£zra Abbot, D.D., lili.D., of Harvard College, says: 

" I heartily approve of your project. I shall be glad to receive and 
commend the volumes to buyers. I send you my subscription." 

Thos. Armitage, J}*!}., Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York, 

says : 
" Your plan is grand and philanthropic. I wish you success, and ask 
you to put me down for one set, with the assurance thdt I will aid you by 
every kind word which opportunity suggests." 

William M. Taylor, D.D., Broadway Tabernacle, New York, says : 

'' The success of the plan depends very much on the character of the 
books selected ; but if you are wise in that particular, as I have no doubt, 
you will be benefactors to many struggling readers in whose experience a 
new book is one of the rarest treats. I am glad to see, too, that you are 
making arrangements with the English publishers, so that in conferring 
a boon upon readers here you will not be doing Injustice to authors across 
the sea." 

James Eells, D.D., Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, O., says : 
" From the reputation of your house I am ready to believe that you will 
publish only worthy books. I heartily wish you success." 

E. J. Wolf, D.D«, of the Lutheran Seminary, Gettysburg, Pa., says: 

" A more laudable project I can hardly conceive of. Vicious literature 
has long had the advantage in that it was put within easy reach of the 
masses. The poverty of many who fain would use the very best books has 
often distressed me. I feel in my heart that the noble enterprise of your 
house is deserving of the most liberal encouragement." 

Bishop Samuel Fallows, Reformed Episcopalian Church, Chicago, 

says : 
*' Your plan for supplying the masses with the best reading at such a 
nominal price cannot be too highly commended." 

J. L. Burrows, D.D., Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va., says : 

" Every endeavor to supersede poison by food for the people deserves 
encouragement." 

Rev. W. F. Crafts, Lee Avenue Congregationalist Church, Brooklyn, 

says : 
**In the West they displace the worthless prairie grass by sowing blue 
grass. The soil is too rich to be inactive. It will have a right or wrong 
activity. So about the love of reading in the young. It is prime soil and 
will bear tall wire grass if we do not give it blue grass. It will have bad 
reading, if the good, equally cheap and attractive, is not provided." 



THE STANDARD SBRIES. 

Best Books fbr a Tirifle. 

THBfiB books are printed in readable type, on fair paper, and are bound in postal 
card manllla. 

These books are printed wholly without abridgment, exc^t Canon Farrar's " Life 
of Ohrist " and his '* Life of Paul." 



Ne. Price. 

1. John Ploughman's Talk. C. H. 

Sporgeon. On Choice of Books. 

Thomas Carlyle. ' 4to. Both .... $0 12 
8. Manliness of Christ. Thomas 

Hughes. 4to 10 

3. Essays. Lord Macaulay. 4to... 15 
4- Li>rht of Asia. Edwin Arnold. 4to. 15 
5. Imitation of Christ. Thomas a 

Kempis. 4to 15 

6-7. Life of Christ. Canon Farrar. 

4to 50 

8. EtJSays. Thomas Carlyle. 4to.. 20 
9-10. Life and Work of St. Paul. 

Canon Farrar. 4to 2 parts, both 50 
11. Self -Culture. Prof. J. S, Blackie. 

4to. 2 parts, both 10 

12-19. Popular History of England. 

Chas. Knight. 4to 2 80 

20-21. Ruskin's Letters to Workmen 

and Laborer?. 4to. 2 parts, both 30 

22. Idyls of the King. Alfred Tenny- 
son. 4to 20 

23. Life of Rowland Hill. Rev. V. J. 
Charlesworth. 4to 15 

24. Town Geology. Charles Kings- 
ley. 4to 15 

25. Alfred the Great. Thos. Hughes. 

4to 20 

26. Outdoor Life in Europe. Rev. E. 

P. Thwing. 4to SO 

27. Calamities of Authors. I. D'ls- 
raeli. 4to 20 

28. Salon of Madame Necker. Part I. 

4to 15 

29. Ethics of the Dust. John Buskin. 

4to 15 

30-31. Memories of My Exile. Louis 

Kossuth. 4to 40 

32. Mister Horn and His Friends. 

Illustrated. 4to 15 

33-^4. Orations of Demosthenes. 4to. 40 

35. Frondes Agrestes. John Rus- 

kin. 4to 15 

36. Joan of Arc. Alphonse de La- 
martine. 4to 10 

37. Thoughts of M. Aurelius Anto- 
ninus. 4to 15 

38. Salon of Madame Necker. Part 

IL 4to 15 

39. The HormitP. Chas. King8ley.4to. 15 

40. John Ploughman's Pictures. C. 

H. Spura:eon. 4to 15 

41. Pulpit Tabie-Talk. Dean Ram- 
say. 4to . . 10 

42. Bible and Newspaper. C. H. 
Spurgeon. 4to 15 

48. Lacon. Rev. C. C. Colton. 4to. 20 



Ko. Fdce. 

44. Goldsmith's Citizen of the World. 

4to ^ 20 

45. America Revisited. George Au- 
gustus Sala. 4to 20 

46. Life of C. H. Spurgeon. 8vo. . . . 20 

47. John Calvin. M. Guizot 4to... 15 
4&-49. Dickens' Christmas Books. 

Illustrated. 8vo SO 

50. Shairp's Culture and Religion. 8vo. 15 
51-52. Godet's Commentary on Luke. 
Ed. by Dr. John Hall. 8vo, 2 parts, 

both 200 

53. Diary of a Minister's Wife. Part 

L 8vo 15 

54-57. Van Dorei#8 Suggestive Com- 
mentary on Luke. Kew edition, 
enlarged. 8vo 

58. Diary of a Minister's Wife. Part 
IL 8vo 

59. The Nutritive Cure. Dr. Robert 
Walter. 8vo 

60. Sartor Resartus. Thomas Car- 
lyle. 4to 

61-^2. Lothair. Lord Beaconsfield. 
8vo 

63. The Persian Queen and Other 
Pictures of Truth. Rev. E. P. 
Thwing. 8vo 

64. Salon of Madame Necker. Part 
IIL 4to 

65-66. The Popular History of Eng- 
lish Bible Trani^lation. H.P.Co- 
nant. 8vo. Price both part»«... 

67. I agersoU Answered. Joseph Par- 
ker, D.D. 8vo 

68-69. Studies in Mark. D. C. 
Hughes. 8vo, in two parts 

70. Job's Comforters. A Religious 
Satire. Joseph Parker, D.D. (Lon- 
don.) 12mo 

71. The Revl-ers' English. G. Wash- 
ington Moon, F.R.S.L. 12mo.. 

72. TheConversion of Children. Rev. 
Edward Payson Hammond. 12mo 

73. New Testament Helps. Rev. W. 
F. Crafts, 8vo 

74. Opium— England's Coercive Poli- 
cy. Rev. Jno. Liggins. 6vo 

75. Blood of Jesus. Rev. Wm. A, 
Reid. With Introduction by E. 

P. Hammond. 12mo 10 

76. Les«on in the Closet for 1883. 
Charles F. Deems, D.D. i2mo.. 20 

77-78. Heroes and Holidava. Rev. 

W. F. Crafts. 13mo. 2 pts., both 30 
79. Reminiscences of Rev. Lyman 

Eeecher, D.D. 8vo 10 



FUNK Sl VVAGNALLS, 10 and 12 Dey St., NEW YORK, 



'm^mmmm^^m^:mmmm: 



PERNI CIOUS B OOKS. 

The following are forcible arguments in favor of our cheap STAND- 
ARD BOOKS — nearly every newspaper chronicles similar ones : A boy 
in Ohio went into the yard and blew out his brains with a shotgun after 
the manner described *' m a sensational novel he had been reading." A 
half-dozen boys in New York formed themselves into a gang of " Road 
Agents." fully armed with pistols and revolvers, but were luckily arrested 
before they had opportunity to rob and murder on the model of the 
**Road Agents" on the Western frontier, so graphically pictured in the 
popular " blood and thunder" fiction of the day. Another boy shot his 
stepmother. He said : '* I don't see anything wrong in that kind of 
thing. It's dead sure to make me the hero of a novel, with my picture 
in it." We might multiply these incidents ad infinitum. Read what 
Anthony Comstock has printed about the evil wrought by bad books. 
Tens of thousands of boys and girls are growing into a worthless man- 
hood and womanhood, the victims of misdirected reading. Books fit for 
the young to read must be made as cheap and of as easy access as are 
worthless books. 



) ttm vi tm M ' tv jtWMpm^iJ ii nn m m mfmtm^m^ 



THE HOYT-WARD CYCLOPyEDIA OF QUOTATIONS 



dO,000 ClUOTATIONS, 50,000 LINES OF CONCORDANCE. 

THE STANDARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS. 

" The compilationa of AlUbone (over which we have often grown wrathy fnough) and 

Bartlett (which it drains to the dregs) are quite out of competition.'"--^. Y. Christian Union. 

" This is by long odds the best book of quotations xn existence:* --^e^ York Herald. 



Hon. JUDGE EDMUNDS, U.S. Senator: 

the kind." 



'*The most complete and best work of 

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WENDELL PHILLIPS: "It is of rare value to the scholar." 

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kind." 
Ex-Speaker RANDALL: **I consider it the best book of quotations." 
GEO. WASHINGTON CHILDS: ** Anv one who dips into it will at once make a 

place for it among his well-choaen books." 
HENRY WARD BEECHER: "Good aU the way through." 
Maj.-Gen. McCLELLAN: "A work that should be in every library." 
ABRAM S. HEWITT: "The c#mpleteneB8 of its indices is simply astonishing.'* 
GEORGE W. CURTIS: **A most serviceable companion." 
HENRY W. LONGFELLOW : " Can hardly fail to be a very successful and favorite 

volume." 

Vricea: JRoyal 8vo, over 900 pp.^ Heavy Paper and Cloth Binding, $S$ 
Sheepi $0.50 i Malf Morocco, $8; Full Morocco, $10. 



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